Barisha, India

Barisha is a residential locality of Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal, India. It is a part of greater Behala region. Historically, it is one of the oldest boroughs in Kolkata. It was the abode of the great Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. Barisha is known today for being the home of the Indian Cricket idol Sourav Ganguly. It is one of the major educational and cultural hubs of the metropolis.

Barisha
Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta)
Barisha
Location in Kolkata
Coordinates: 22.484847°N 88.313686°E / 22.484847; 88.313686
Country India
StateWest Bengal
CityKolkata
DistrictKolkata[1][2][3]
Metro StationBehala Sakherbazar(under construction) Behala Chowrasta(under construction)
Municipal CorporationKolkata Municipal Corporation
KMC wards123, 124, 125, 126
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Area code(s)+91 33
Lok Sabha constituencyKolkata Dakshin
Vidhan Sabha constituencyBehala Paschim and Behala Purba

Location

Barisha is situated in the southwest of Kolkata about 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the city centre Esplanade. Although originally a separate village, it is now under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and is spread over four wards: the 123, 124, 125 and 126. The area starts from Vivekananda Women's College in the north and is spread to Thakurpukur in the south. The Diamond Harbour Road and the James Long Sarani runs through the heart of Barisha.

History
Part of the twelve Shiva temples.
Idols of Krishna & Radha in Radhakanta Jiu Temple, Barisha, Kolkata

The origin of the name is a matter of research. According to the sources of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad three theories have been put forward.

Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury got the Jaigirdari of huge area of lands in CE 1608 from Man Singha. It was then that the place of Barisha came under his dominion. He started a durga puja here in CE 1610, which is at present the oldest durga puja of Bengal. Also in total, eight durga pujas are being held in the family at present. The descendants of Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury later on started living here from the year CE 1716 and carried on developmental works and since then it is the biggest settlement of the Sabarna family.[4]

The family also established other pujas like Chandi puja, Jagatdhatri puja etc. and also founded a large number of temples like the Annapurna Temple, Radhakanto temple, Dwadash Shiva Temples etc. The Barisha Rathayatra Utsav started in 1719 is one of the oldest in the city and is quite famous.[4]Sabarna Prithivi

There is also a Lord Jagannath Temple (at least 150 years old) at Sakherbazar.

Barisha is also renowned for the Durga pujas. The six Durga Pujas of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family are world-famous. The Aatchala Bari hosts the oldest Durga puja of Kolkata which dates back to 1610, when the first Jagirdar of the Sabarna Family Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury started the family puja at Barisha, which was a prosperous village of his dominion. The other pujas of the Sabarna family at Barisha are those of Baro Bari, Mejobari, Kalikingkar Bhawan, Benaki Bari, and Majher Bari.[4]Sabarna Prithivi. Another old Durga puja (over 300 years old) is held at Durgabari (Surendra Smriti Mandir) where the positions of Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya are interchanged as per the family tradition and legend.

Places of interest

Behala Chowrasta

Chowrasta is the gateway to Barisha. It is a four-point crossing that takes you to Behala in the north, Tollygunge to the East, Sarsuna to the west and Joka to the south. Chowrasta is also synonymous to be celebrated neighborhood of Sourav Ganguly, his residence is merely a few metres away from the 4-point crossing. It also has the Behala Chowrasta metro station.

Sakher Bazar

Houses the local flea market. This market was founded by Tarini Charan Roy Choudhury of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. Over the years, it has evolved, with brands like KFC, Mio Amore , Monginis , Sugarr and Spice among others setting up shop around it. It has been the set of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family and also houses the Dwadash Shiva Temples .

Sabarna Sangrahashala

Sabarna Sangrahashala is the family museum of the Sabarna family. It is located at Baro Bari. This museum is a great attraction to the visitors who want to know about the family and about the history of Kolkata. The museum is also a research center. It has been developed by Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad. Every year in February an International History and Heritage Exhibition is held which is one its only kind in Bengal.[4]Sabarna Prithivi [5]

Douglas Grounds

This estate houses the only local church, a local cricket ground and cricket training facility, one football ground, one kindergarten school, a flower nursery, and a gigantic pond. The cricket centre was formerly run by Sourav Ganguly's father Chandi Ganguly, and is where Sourav learned the basics of the game as a child. Lined with acacia & eucalyptus trees, Douglas Grounds is an idyllic, calm, and well protected place that stands out exceptionally from this crowded and noisy locality of Kolkata. However, it has been planned that the La Martiniere Calcutta group of institutions will have a co-ed school campus[6] on the grounds.

Chandi Mandir & Mela

A auspicious temple of Hindu goddess Chandi is one among the prime attraction of the place. Located within a couple of minutes walk towards west from Sakher bazar, it is also a centre of a ten days annual fair held in the early winters regarding the annual worship of the deity. Devotees come from far distance to offer puja or to worship goddess Chandi during that period. Many cultural events and humanitarian social works are done within the tenure of the fair.[4]>[7]

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See also

References
  1. "South 24 Parganas district".
  2. "web.archieve.org" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2013.
  3. "KMC Wards in South 24 Parganas".
  4. Bangiya Sabarna Katha Kalishetra Kalikatah by Bhabani Roy Choudhury, Manna Publication. ISBN 81-87648-36-8
  5. http://www.facebook.com/sabarnasangrahashala
  6. Mukherjee Pandey, Jhimli (26 November 2019). "La Martiniere co-educational campus to come up in Behala". Times of India.
  7. Saptahik Bartaman, Bartaman Pvt. Ltd., 6, JBS Haldane Avenue, Kolkata – 700 105, p.50 (ed. 13 October 2018)
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