Durga Puja In No-Man's Land: Manikpur Keeps 158-Year-Old Tradition Alive At Indo-Bangla Border

Sribhumi: Along the India-Bangladesh border in Manikpur village, a 158-year-old Durga temple lies fenced inside no-man's land. Every year during Navratri, Border Security Force (BSF) jawans open the gates so that villagers and even the soldiers themselves can pray. Despite financial constraints, restrictions and barbed wires, the local community has been celebrating Durga Puja with utter devotion and simplicity.

This temple, which was built nearly 150 years ago in Manikpur on the banks of the Kushiyara River, got separated from the mainland India after Partition. Since then, it has remained locked between two countries, constantly watched by the BSF personnel. To visit the temple and enter the premises, villagers must pass through border gates, which BSF jawans open only at fixed hours.

Maa Durga temple in the no-man's land in Manikpur village (ETV Bharat)

During Navaratri, the gates open from 5 AM to 10 PM for devotees to offer prayers. People come from nearby villages including Bakrashal, Jabainpur, Sarisha, Charakuri, Shitalpara and even from Karimganj town. The temple courtyard fills with chants, devotion and community spirit during this period every year.

Unlike the city's dazzling mandaps, Manikpur's Durga Bari is marked by simplicity. There are no giant pandals, no bright lights as there is no grand budget. Villagers believe the goddess here is jagrata (ever-awakened), and that faith alone draws hundreds and thousand of devotees each year.

The Puja runs on donations. There is no fixed budget, and sometimes expenses must be cut. Still, joy never dims. The idol of the Goddess comes from the district headquarters, the pandal stands beside the temple, and immersion is done within the barbed fences of Manikpur itself.

Durga Puja In No-Man’s Land: Manikpur At Indo-Bangla Border Keeps 158-Year-Old Tradition Alive (ETV Bharat)

"We may not have grandeur, but our devotion is high. Even with limited means, the whole community comes together to offer prayers to Maa Durga," says Parimal Malakar, the Puja Committee president.

Being in no-man's land means every villager has to follow BSF rules strictly. All rituals, starting from evening aarti to immersion, must finish before evening. The BSF is providing additional security to ensure that devotees do not face any hassles. In return, the villagers respect every protocol, performing rituals with discipline and faith.

"Organising a festival in no-man's land means we have to strictly adhere to the rules. All protocols laid down by the BSF are followed strictly. All rituals are completed in daylight," says another committee member Apu Malakar.

Despite the Partition, barbed wires and border restrictions, the century-old tradition has not stopped. For the people of Manikpur, this annual Durga puja is their way of keeping age-old traditions and faith alive.

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