Kharchi Puja

Kharchi Puja is a major annual festival of Tripura centred on the Chaturdasha Devata, or fourteen deities, at the temple in Old Agartala. The festival brings together temple worship, ritual processions, offerings and a large public fair.

The observance traditionally lasts seven days and is closely associated with Tripuri religious and cultural traditions. The principal rituals take place at the Chaturdasha Devata Temple, while visitors and residents also gather for the surrounding fair and cultural activities.

• Ashadha Shukla Ashtami — the principal opening day of Kharchi Puja, marked by the ceremonial bathing of the fourteen deities.
• Seven-day observance — worship, offerings and the accompanying fair continue through the festival period.

Fourteen deities — The festival honours the fourteen deities traditionally associated with the Tripuri royal tradition and regarded as important guardians of the community.

Purification of the earth — Tripuri tradition connects Kharchi with the ritual cleansing and renewal of the earth following a period of ritual rest.

Community gathering — The festival brings together people from different communities for worship, visiting, cultural programmes and the public fair.

The worship of the fourteen deities has roots older than the present temple and became closely connected with the royal traditions of Tripura. Historical research on the deity heads and their worship points to a long indigenous tradition that was subsequently incorporated into the religious culture patronised by the Manikya rulers.

The present Chaturdasha Devata Temple at Old Agartala belongs to the eighteenth-century period of Tripura's royal history. The festival has continued to evolve as a public religious and cultural gathering, with the temple rituals remaining at its centre.

Worship — The chief priest, traditionally known as the Chantai, leads the principal rituals with assistance from other ritual specialists. The fourteen deity heads are ceremonially taken for bathing and then returned to the temple.

Offerings — Flowers, vermilion, rice, fruits and other ritual materials are presented during worship. Animal sacrifice is also part of the traditional ritual practice at the main observance.

Public — Devotees and visitors gather around the temple for prayers, processions, the fair, music and cultural programmes.

The celebration begins with preparations and the ceremonial procession of the fourteen deities. On the principal day, the deity heads are carried to the nearby river for ritual bathing before being brought back to the temple.

After their return, the deities are placed in the temple and worship continues with flowers, vermilion and other offerings. Across the following days, devotees visit the shrine while the surrounding fair, food stalls and cultural programmes remain active.

Old Agartala — The Chaturdasha Devata Temple is the principal centre, and the most elaborate rituals and the major fair take place around the temple complex.

Across Tripura — The festival has significance beyond the main temple, with people across the state participating through worship, visits and community gatherings.

• Ceremonial bathing of the fourteen deity heads
• Procession of the deities to the river
• Worship by the Chantai priest and assistants
• Offerings of flowers, vermilion, rice and fruits
• Traditional animal sacrifice
• Seven-day temple fair
• Folk and cultural programmes

Fourteen deity heads — Represent the Chaturdasha Devata and the longstanding religious tradition of Tripura.

River water — Used in the ceremonial bathing of the deities and associated with ritual purification.

Bamboo poles and umbrellas — Prominent elements of the ceremonial processions and traditional visual culture of the festival.

Flowers and vermilion — Common ritual offerings used to honour and decorate the deities.

Fairground — Represents the festival's wider public and community dimension beyond the temple rituals.

• The name Chaturdasha Devata refers to the fourteen deities worshipped together during the festival.
• Kharchi Puja is centred on the Chaturdasha Devata Temple at Old Agartala, also known as the Temple of Fourteen Gods.
• The principal observance lasts seven days and is accompanied by a large fair.
• The fourteen deities are traditionally represented by deity heads rather than full-bodied images in the temple tradition.
• The festival combines indigenous Tripuri ritual practices with elements of the wider Hindu religious tradition.
• The main celebration is held in the Ashadha period and therefore shifts against the Gregorian calendar from year to year.