Durga Puja under BJP rule in West Bengal: Tradition and a push for vegetarianism

Offering and consuming non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja has long been a tradition in West Bengal. Before it became a community event, or Sarbojanin, many Bonedi Bari (aristocratic households) practised goat sacrifice on Nabami, with the meat used to prepare prasad (holy offering) for Goddess Durga. Meat consumption during the Pujas has persisted since, rooted in the Shakta tradition of worship.

On September 6, the chief priest of Madhya Pradesh’s Bageshwar Dham, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, while participating in an event in West Bengal, appealed to the Hindus in the State not to sell non-vegetarian food near Durga Puja pandals.