Casgliadau Arlein

Image of the goddess Durga with 10 arms, one holding a snake. Beneath her is a lion and representations of the demon Mahishasur in human and buffalo form, who Durga was sent to defeat in battle.

These Hindu images were made in Cardiff in 2002. They were commissioned by the Wales Puja Committee who arranged for Indian Craftsmen Nimai Chandra Pal and Bishwajit Chakraborty, to travel to Wales to make them. They are believed to be the first Durga images made by Indian artists in Wales. Before this, the Wales Puja Committee bought their images from India and shipped them over to Wales. The very early Durga images used by the Wales Puja Committee were painted on canvas. They were used by the Committee to worship from 2002 to 2009 until it became fragile and worn. In 2009, the Museum worked with the Wales Puja Committee to create a new Durga Goddess. The process of making the goddess was recorded by the museum – from inviting the Indian Craftsmen to Wales, painting the Goddess’ eyes to the celebrations at the completion ceremony. In exchange, the Wales Puja Committee donated their old Durga image to the Museum as an example of a Goddess used for Hindu worship in Wales.

A very small group of students and new doctors from India (Bengalis) living in Cardiff and the Rhonda valleys, organised a Puja for the first time in 1972. This was the first Hindu worship, according to their knowledge, in South Wales. This Puja was performed in a private house with only a handful number of participants. But from 1973, it was conducted at The Parade, Roath in Cardiff for a good few years. This group was named as Bengali Association (Wales) in 1974. Wales Puja Committee was formed in the mid eighties, mainly evolved from the above group, continued the tradition of this Puja with greater participation.