The idol of Devi Choudhurani. Pix Biplab Basak

Jalpaiguri, Oct. 29: For the denizens of Sikarpur, Devi Choudhurani and Bhabani Pathak are not famous fictional characters immortalised by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in his novel Devi Choudhurani. Devi and Pathak were flesh-and-blood people who lived much before the author penned his book who lived their lives heroically.

Idols of Pathak and Devi are worshipped in a small Kali temple amid the Sikarpur Tea Garden, believed to have been the worship place of Pathak, a devotee of Ma Kali. The temple, according to local residents, has been there for ages and so has the river whose gurgling waters still flow behind the temple. The river is known as the Trisrota — the conjunction of Teesta, Karala and Dharala.

According to legend, Devi Choudhurani, originally known as Prafulla, was the queen of Manthani estate of Rangpur district. After being abandoned by her husband, she was given shelter by Pathak, who also led a band of dacoits. Devi later became a part of their gang. Pathak was also known to have led the Sanyasi revolution in Rangpur.

Legend has it that the bajra (a large boat) of Devi Choudhurani used to sail on the waters of this river, moving between Rangpur (now a district in Bangladesh) and Baikunthapur. Several idols of Devi and Pathak are still found in this area.

According to the writings of Lieutenant Brenon, the British ruler of Sikarpur, Pathak died in 1787 after which Devi left for some unknown destination. The caretaker and the priest of the temple, Gauri Shankar Tiwari, said, “You can find idols of Nishi and Diba, the two friends of Devi, of Rangalal, her bodyguard, and of Brojeshwar, Devi’s husband who left her because of her poor financial status.”

The temple, which resembles a pagoda, has a steady stream of worshippers from the nearby areas who throng the place during the puja of Devi and Pathak. Kali puja is celebrated in a big way in this abode of the goddess, continuing a tradition that the local priest says was started by Pathak.

Says Bansari Oraon, a worker of the Sikarpur Tea Estate: “We come regularly to worship Devi. She fulfils the wishes of her followers.” According to Umesh Sharma, a researcher in Jalpaiguri: “There is historical evidence that the characters worshipped by the local residents were for real. Only, till now there is no proof of the date on which the temple was built and who constructed it.”

The idols of Devi and her associates, carved out of wood, have a medieval look about them. The resemblance that the wooden idols share with the people of the area can only be explained by the fact that the artist seems to have drawn on the natural features of local residents while working on his creation.