Every year on the new moon of Dipanvita, a puja is held at the temple of Goddess Burakali, the deity of Balurghat. It is said that a few hundred years ago, the Atreyi River was next to the present Balurghat Burakali Mata temple. It is spread through word of mouth that there was a dense forest at the site of the temple and the adjacent market.
Although it is a centuries-old puja, no one can say how old this puja actually is. It is said that, once upon a time, the idol of old Kali Mata floated on its own on the banks of the Atreyi River. At that time, a Tantric picked up the idol and started the puja. This puja started after that. Though currently, the mother is worshipped in a huge temple, initially, the puja of old Kali Mata started in a place surrounded by tin.
On the day of the puja, the entire body of the mother is decorated with gold and silver ornaments. Thousands of devotees gather around on the day of the puja. Now, goats and shoal fish are sacrificed as Boli during the puja. Legend has it that earlier, a shoal fish weighing 20 kilos was sacrificed.
This puja attracts a large number of devotees not only from Balurghat or Dakshin Dinajpur, but also from the neighbouring districts of Uttar Dinajpur and Malda. Currently, the Atreyi River has shifted much to the west of the Bura Kali temple.
At one time, Queen Rashmoni of Kolkata used to come to worship at this temple. She used to come in a Bajra, fetch water from the Atreyi River, worship her mother and then return to Kolkata.
However, the truth of this has never been proven yet. There is another legend surrounding this temple that in the evening, the smell of beautiful flowers could be found in this area.
But there were no forests or trees within a few kilometres of the temple. The sound of Nupur could be heard. On the day of the puja, food is served to the visitors. Amit Mahant, the secretary of the Bura Kali Puja Samiti, said, "The puja of the mother is done according to the old customs. On the day of the puja, the golden face is installed in the temple. After the puja, it is kept in the locker again."
