Durga Puja 2026: Why West Bengal’s biggest festival is under pressure this year
This year's Durga Puja is facing a 'Maati Crisis', which has cast a shadow on West Bengal's biggest festival.
Durga Puja 2026: Why West Bengal’s biggest festival is under pressure this year | Image: X
Durga Puja 2026: West Bengal is known for its rich culture and heritage, intellectual legacy and diverse landscapes. Bengali people are very religious and take their religion very seriously. The biggest festival in the state is Durga Puja, which is celebrated with great religious fervour and zeal. But this year, the festival is facing a major crisis, and soil has emerged as the biggest threat.
Durga Puja Faces Soil Crisis In Bengal
Artisans are facing a shortage of specific soil which is collected from the banks of river Ganga. But due to the ban over digging the soil from the banks and strict enforcement under the BJP government has sparked outrage and anxiety among artisans in Kumartuli, which is famous in Kolkata for its potters' locality. The soil is very essential for the crafting of Durga idols and its absence will tarnish the biggest festival of the state.
Entel Mati Shortage Worries Kumartuli Artisans
The narrow lanes of Kumartuli becomes alive as 200 potter families start preparing goddess Durga idols at around 600 workshops. As the festival is just four months away, the potters at Kumartuli are facing the shortage of special clay called 'entel mati' or sticky black clay. The potters collect this specific clay from Ganga banks located in Raichak, Jibantala and Diamond Harbour.
Why Does Durga Idol-Making Depend On This Soil?
Notably, the current BJP government has banned digging the soil from riverbanks. The decision has affected people associated with the supply chain. Some people run the supply chain illegally. Earlier, the saffron party targeted the illegal supply chain and alleged that it is run by TMC goons. However, after the BJP came to power, for the first time in the state, launched a crackdown on illegal activities, including the supply chain.
Idol-Making Begins Months Before Durga Puja
Notably, the idol making usually begins after March. The artisans start the process by making idols of Saraswati and Lakshmi, and two daughters of Durga. These artisans produce over 4,000 idols every year. Several of these idols are also shipped to foreign countries.
Due to the complex nature of the idol set, a specific type of clay is required, which is also called 'Ganga Mati', which is extracted from the bed of Gaga river.
Idol Makers Hope For BJP Government's Support
A delegation of artisans, on Thursday, met BJP MLA Swapan Dasgupta. The delegation was led by Padma Shri awardee Sanatan Rudra Pal. After the meeting, Dasgupta took to X and urged an immediate intervention by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
"The supply of the Ganga soil that is indispensable in the crafting of the Devi has abruptly stopped. Unless the supply is resumed immediately, the state will face a problem during the forthcoming Durga Puja," he tweeted.
The Canal East Road Artisans Organisation has also written a letter to the state chief minister.
The artisan hope that CM Adhikari will take necessary action to resolve their problem in coming weeks as the biggest festival of the state is just four months away.
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