PunyaMaati or Pristine clay is considered an essential ‘ingredient’ in making of Goddess Durga’s idol and is considered incomplete without the soil which should be taken exclusively from the house of a sex worker. The soil should be begged for by the priest or maker and should only be received as a gift or blessing from a prostitute’s hands.
The soil is known as ‘punyamati’ and the place where a prostitute resides is known as ‘nishiddhopallis’ – forbidden territories.The belief is that Goddess Durga would be dissatisfied if those who worship her do not take the blessings of the prostitutes.This custom is restricted only to Bengal while DurgaMaa idols made in other regions does not strictly follow this custom.
The reason as to why punyamaatti is essential ingredient is still an enigma, but the most accepted reason is because those people who go to prostitutes for sex leave their purity and virtue at the doorstep of the prostitute’s home, hence making the soil virtuous.
Another reason is to include and give importance to prostitutes who are generally not welcomed by the majority of the society. But the irony is so sad because people conveniently forget to include them for the rest of the year. They are kept out of festivities and family functions. They are trampled and left to live in filth and humiliated at every possible event.
By: Archa Dave
