16th November 1980
am Jp day and the drums started at @ 3.00am. Most pujas didn't start till midday. The rajbari one started @ 11.00am. Manik and I went but we had missed the chokudan. This is done by the brahmin with bel kata (twig from bel tree) and kajol (collyrium) though just the pupil is painted in. I wasn't allowed to know the formula of the chokudan.
The rajbari image @ 5' orange riding on back like a horse, the ghorasingho looks very much like a horse but it has claws instead of hooves. No elephant head. The kathamo of the Dp was placed to the right of the bedi and in front of the bedi was the image of J. In other pandals there were also lots of kathamos all around-the same kathamo is not used for all the pujas but only for that specific one i.e. Dp for Dp etc. I think the kathamos are kept because they are bulky, strong, kept year after year as it would seem a waste not ot use them. They are generally held together by bolts. When the images are immersed the clay rapidly disintegrates a few minutes later and the kathamo is washed ashore and then collected or else taken (perhpas) soon after immersion (I saw one procession doing just that-returning with the kathamo). All the pandals here do this.
Bolidan-done during Jp.
Kartik images had been placed in small shrines, tended mostly by small kids (boys). The Chasa para image is extremely large and is placed in a relatively small (just big enough) 3 sided building down a lane-not therefore like Gola poti by any means. because of the crowds one could only see J from waist upwards. The image was decorated with real ornaments. I think mostly daker saj (other images were clothed, others with shola decorations).
The small family pujas had mostly ghorasingho. Most pujas over by the evening.
17th November 1980 - Krishnanagar
19th November 1980 - Calcutta + Dutta family
20th November 1980 - Kumartuli
21st November 1980 - Calcutta State Archaeological Museum
22nd November 1980 - Krishnanagar + Nabadwip
23rd November 1980 - Krishnanagar + Shantipur
26th November 1980 - Mecheda + Tamluk
30th November 1980 - Krishnanagar