Explainer: Why is Durga Idol made with soil from brothel?

Throughout this festival, devotees install idols of Goddess Durga in temples, grand pandals, and homes, where they offer prayers and worship her.

However, the clay used for making Durga idols traditionally includes soil collected from the courtyard of a prostitute.

According to tradition, the idol of Durga is considered incomplete unless it includes soil from a brothel's courtyard.

Besides, when a priest or sculptor goes to collect this soil, they must approach it with a pure and sincere heart. In a gesture of respect, they must bow before the prostitute while requesting the soil. Once received, the soil is used in the construction of the idol, signifying its completion.

This act of bowing before prostitutes symbolizes the recognition of women’s dignity and equality, reflecting the broader respect for feminine power in society.

As per the tradition, a woman is seen as the embodiment of Hindu Diety, Lakshmi. When a man abandons his wife to visit a prostitute, it is said that all his virtuous deeds are left behind in her courtyard. As a result, the soil from a prostitute's courtyard is considered pure, while the man, upon entering the brothel, is thought to carry the burden of sin.

To complete the idol of Durga for Durga Puja, several elements are required in addition to the soil from a brothel's courtyard. Without these components, the idol is considered incomplete. Soil from the banks of the Ganga, along with cow urine and cow dung, are also traditionally used in the construction of the idol. These rituals have been followed for centuries as part of the age-old practices surrounding the festival.

In Hindu mythology, a group of prostitutes once went to a bath in the Ganga River, where they saw a leper sitting on the riverbank, pleading for assistance to take a holy dip. The people passing by ignored him, refusing to even acknowledge his presence. Moved by compassion, the prostitutes helped the leper bathe in the sacred river. Unknown to them, the leper was a Hindu God in disguise.

Impressed by their compassion, Shiva revealed his true form and granted the prostitutes a boon. They requested Durga's idols be made from the soil of their courtyards. Shiva fulfilled this wish, and after that day, the tradition of using soil from both the banks of the Ganga and brothels to create Durga's idols has been carried on by their devotees.