Kolkata Priests Undergo Intensive Training for Kali Puja Rituals

As of October 12th, 2025, a training camp for Kali Puja priests is underway in the courtyard of the Shib Krishna Daw family house in Kolkata's Jorasanko neighborhood. The three-day camp aims to prepare around 40 priests in the intricate tantric traditions that govern the Kali Puja rituals, unlike the Vedic and Puranic practices followed during Durga Puja.

Jayanta Kushari, the principal of the Sarbabharatiya Prachyavidya Academy, has been conducting these training sessions for Durga Puja for 39 years and Kali Puja for a decade. He emphasizes the importance of the priests' proper conduct, including their ability to understand and correctly pronounce the chants, maintain an amicable demeanor, change their clothes before the puja, and remain attentive throughout the rituals. Kushari stresses that practices like using cellphones or taking tea or smoke breaks are strictly prohibited for the priests during the puja.

While Durga Puja rituals can span 5 to 15 days, Kali Puja is a more challenging affair, as it is concluded in a single night. The puja typically begins at either Nisha (9 PM) or Maha Nisha (around midnight) and can last 4-5 hours for a trained priest or 6-7 hours for a less experienced one. The key elements of the Kali Puja include the recitation of Kali mantras to invoke the goddess's divine energy and the offering of red hibiscus flowers, as well as a symbolic sacrifice.