Bihar’s 400-Year-Old Durga Tradition: Why 32 Bearers Carry a 2,000-Kg Idol! 🙏🚩

Munger in Bihar is home to a centuries-old tradition surrounding the revered Badi Durga Maharani, whose temple history is believed to date back around 400 years.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this tradition is the goddess’s grand visarjan. The approximately 25-foot-tall idol, weighing over 2,000 kilograms, is carried on the shoulders of exactly 32 kahars, or traditional bearers. No modern vehicles or tractors are used for the immersion procession.

According to local belief and a popular legend associated with a past curfew, the idol cannot be moved on a vehicle, and exactly 32 bearers are essential to carry it forward.

Adorned with gold and silver jewellery and distinguished by a mud bangle, the idol depicts Goddess Durga in her Mahishasura Mardini form. The grand Shobha Yatra begins on Dashami evening, allowing devotees across the city to catch a final glimpse of the goddess.

The overnight procession culminates at Sojhi Ghat on Ekadashi afternoon, with the immersion traditionally taking place only after sunlight falls on the goddess. The idol’s remarkably consistent features across generations of artisans add another layer of mystery and devotion to this unique heritage.

 

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