Traditionally, most Durga Puja bhog served to the goddess are purely vegetarian, comprising khichuri, a traditional Bengali labra (a medly of seasonal vegetables), chutney, payesh (rice pudding), and sweets. These offerings are considered sattvik and are central to the ritualistic worship of Goddess Durga.
However, in some parts of Bengal, as per the norms of the Shakta sect, non-vegetarian items like fish, mutton, or goat meat are considered acceptable and even auspicious. On the day of Ashtami, Durga's victory over Mahishasura is celebrated in the Shakto tradition, symbolising the triumph of good over evil, often marked by feasts of sacrificial meat and fish. During the 18th century, zamindars began worshipping Goddess Durga as a show of their wealth, incorporating animal sacrifices into the rituals.
In more recent times, with the rise of Vaishnava practices, sacrificial animals were replaced by offerings of fruits and vegetables like bananas, pumpkins, ash gourd (chalkumṛo), sugarcane, and maṣbhakta (a mixture of rice, banana, cloves, and ghee). This shift was driven by the Vaishnava Bhakti culture, which promoted strict vegetarianism. As a result, many Bengalis replaced meat with various pulses underscoring the cultural significance of rice and dal in their everyday life, including during Durga's festivities.
On Navami, rituals involving lamps, incense, food offerings, and dancing with drums are performed, and all sacrifices must be completed by this day. The animal sacrifice takes place during Sandhi Puja, the juncture between Ashtami and Navami when Durga is worshipped as Chamunda, the slayer of Chanda and Munda. The sacrificed goat's meat, known as Niramish Mangsho, is served to devotees, cooked without onion or garlic, and flavoured with whole spices, ginger, and cumin paste.
However, not just meat but fish is also considered auspicious during this period, by some communities. The historic Gouri Paul Barir Durga Puja in South Dinajpur's Balurghat serves a non-vegetarian bhog to the goddess on Navami.
The bhog offered to the goddess on Navami and Dashami features fermented rice with Boal and Raikhor fish and this tradition has been ongoing for over 350 years. This ancient Puja was originally started by Gouri Paul near the Atreyee River in Balurghat. He began the Puja in a simple temple made of straw and bamboo.
About 80 years ago, after Gouri Paul's family could no longer oversee the ritual, locals and neighbours took over, turning it into a Barwari Puja. A unique aspect of this celebration is the offering of Panta Bhat, Boal, and Raikhor fish to the goddess on Navami and Dashami, while vegetarian food is served on other days. Raikhor fish (Cirrhina reba) used in the puja has to be sourced from the Atreyee River and not from ponds. On Dashami, the Aparajita Puja is performed and raikhor is served as bhog.
Silver-scaled fish, such as hilsa, raikhor or rohu, are considered Goddess Gauri's favourites, while scaleless fish are preferred by Kali. Durga is seen as a combination of these two forms. Traditionally, hilsa or rohu is prepared as curry or fried, while single-boned fish are roasted over a fire in a mud oven or chulha.
In some families, the chulha is set up in a corner of the pandal or thakurdalan (courtyard where the goddess is worshipped), and the roasted fish is offered to the goddess before the idol is immersed in Dashami. Symbolically, married women, representing mortal mothers, consume the fish bhog and perform the 'baran' ritual, bidding farewell to Durga as she returns to her husband, Shiva, at the end of the festivities. The roasted fish is believed to ward off evil and ensure Durga's safe journey back to Kailasha.