{"id":33126,"date":"2026-10-06T09:01:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T09:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33126"},"modified":"2026-10-06T09:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T09:01:33","slug":"sculptors-visit-kolkatas-red-light-area-every-year-to-ask-sex-workers-for-soil-from-their-doorsteps-the-powerful-symbolism-behind-bengals-punya-mati-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33126","title":{"rendered":"Sculptors visit Kolkata\u2019s red-light area every year to ask sex workers for soil from their doorsteps; the powerful symbolism behind Bengal\u2019s \u2018punya mati\u2019 tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134728866,imgsize-127938,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg\" alt=\"Sculptors visit Kolkata\u2019s red-light area every year to ask sex workers for soil from their doorsteps; the powerful symbolism behind Bengal\u2019s \u2018punya mati\u2019 tradition\" title=\"Collecting soil (AI-Generated)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Collecting soil (AI-Generated)\">Collecting soil (AI-Generated)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A visit to Kolkata\u2019s Kumartuli stirs a range of emotions. Rows of Durga idols, some still taking shape in mud, others fully formed and ready to be delivered, line the lanes of this iconic neighbourhood, home to generations of potters who create the magnificent idols worshipped during Durga Puja.<!-- --> The spirit and sanctity of the festival can perhaps be felt most deeply here. But Kumartuli is also known for a generations-old tradition that makes it stand out.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>What material should be used to make an idol of Goddess Durga, the embodiment of purity and divine power? Naturally the best and the purest! And why, then, do the potters visit the homes of sex workers in Sonagachi, Kolkata\u2019s (in) famous red-light district, and ask for soil from their doorsteps?<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>The soil is mixed with the clay used to make the idol of Goddess Durga. This unusual practice is known as <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">punya mati<\/span>, or sacred soil, in the Bengali tradition. It is particularly associated with the <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">nishiddho palli<\/span>, literally meaning a \u201cforbidden locality\u201d or red-light district.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"13\"\/>There is something strikingly beautiful about the ritual. The potter visits the sex worker\u2019s home, offers her a saree and gifts, and respectfully asks for some soil from her doorstep. The soil is received with reverence and taken back to Kumartuli, where it becomes part of the clay used to create the goddess\u2019s idol.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Artisan creating Durga idol\" msid=\"134728675\" imgsize=\"198619\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Artisan creating Durga idol (Canva)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-198619,msid-134728675\/artisan-creating-durga-idol.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Artisan creating Durga idol (Canva)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The ritual is laden with symbolism, and raises a fascinating question: how did soil from a place considered socially \u2018forbidden\u2019 come to be regarded as sacred enough to become part of the body of Goddess Durga?<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">What is \u2018punya mati\u2019?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>Durga idols in Bengal are traditionally made from clay, often using alluvial soil associated with the Ganga-Hooghly river system. The sculpting process begins with a bamboo and straw framework, over which layers of clay are applied and shaped into the familiar form of Durga.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>Within this tradition, a small quantity of soil collected from a sex worker\u2019s doorstep has historically been considered another significant ingredient. A cultural documentation report on traditional deity-making in West Bengal records the use of soil from outside brothels, or <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">nishiddho palli<\/span>, describing it as <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">punya mati<\/span>.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Punya mati, Durga Idol\" msid=\"134728712\" imgsize=\"87853\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Durga Idol in making (Canva)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-87853,msid-134728712\/punya-mati-durga-idol.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Durga Idol in making (Canva)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, it is important that it should be received from a sex worker as a gift or blessing.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">But what is the reason behind this tradition<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/>One of the most widely repeated explanations is that a man entering a brothel is believed to leave his virtue or purity outside the door. In this interpretation, the soil at the doorstep consequently becomes \u2018punya\u2019, or virtuous and sacred.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"38\"\/>This explanation has been recorded by several accounts of the Bengali tradition, including reporting from Kolkata&#8217;s Kumartuli and Sonagachi.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>There is also another interpretation: the ritual symbolically brings people who have been pushed to the margins of society into the centre of a major religious celebration.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Durga i&lt;em&gt;\u200b&lt;\/em&gt;dol\" msid=\"134728739\" imgsize=\"92000\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Durga i\u200bdol (Canva)\u200b\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-92000,msid-134728739\/durga-iememdol.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Durga i\u200bdol (Canva)\u200b<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>One interpretation of the tradition is that Durga Puja, as a community festival, temporarily breaks social boundaries and brings even socially excluded groups within its sacred space. That makes the symbolism particularly striking. The soil of a place society has historically labelled \u201cforbidden\u201d becomes part of the physical body of the goddess whom millions come together to worship.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"47\"\/>According to 70-year old Kumud Dubey whose family has been hosting Durga Pooja for generations. &#8220;It is said that when a man enters a sex worker\u2019s home, he leaves his accumulated <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">punya <\/span>(religious merit or virtue) at the doorstep. As a result, the earth there is believed to become spiritually enriched and is called punya mati. There is a powerful contrast which can be seen in this practice, a place society traditionally regards as \u201cforbidden\u201d provides something considered sacred enough to become part of Goddess Durga&#8217;s idol. <!-- -->Some interpretations see this as a reminder that divine power cannot be confined by social ideas of purity and impurity.<!-- -->&#8220;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Where does this tradition take place?<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"56\"\/><\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Asking for soil (AI-generated)\" msid=\"134728791\" imgsize=\"127938\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Asking for soil (AI-generated)\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-127938,msid-134728791\/asking-for-soil-ai-generated.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Asking for soil (AI-generated)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The practice is most strongly associated with West Bengal, especially Kolkata.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/>Kolkata\u2019s Kumartuli, the historic potters\u2019 quarter in north Kolkata, is the heart of traditional Durga-idol making. Artisans here produce thousands of idols every year. Historically, Sonagachi, Kolkata\u2019s best-known red-light district, has been particularly associated with the collection of <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">punya mati<\/span>.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"65\"\/>So while the ritual is popularly associated with Kolkata, it should not be assumed that every Durga idol made anywhere in India contains soil from a brothel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"68\"\/>The practice of collecting <span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">punya mati<\/span>, is more than a curious fact about Durga idols in Bengal. It also reveals a striking contradiction within society: the earth associated with women who were historically rejected and stigmatised could simultaneously be regarded as sacred enough to become part of the image of the goddess.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/life-style\/people\/sculptors-visit-kolkatas-red-light-area-every-year-to-ask-sex-workers-for-soil-from-their-doorsteps-the-powerful-symbolism-behind-bengals-punya-mati-tradition\/articleshow\/134728253.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Collecting soil (AI-Generated) A visit to Kolkata\u2019s Kumartuli stirs a range of emotions. Rows of Durga idols, some still taking shape in mud, others fully formed and ready to be delivered, line the lanes of this iconic neighbourhood, home to generations of potters who create the magnificent idols worshipped during Durga Puja. The spirit and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Collecting soil (AI-Generated) A visit to Kolkata\u2019s Kumartuli stirs a range of emotions. Rows of Durga idols, some still taking shape in mud, others fully formed and ready to be delivered, line the lanes of this iconic neighbourhood, home to generations of potters who create the magnificent idols worshipped during Durga Puja. The spirit and [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/collecting-soil-ai-generated.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}