The longstanding tradition of household rituals in many Eastern cultures has historically been characterized by a clear gendered division of religious roles, with male priests, or purohits, occupying the central position of spiritual authority. These men act as the sanctioned intermediaries between the divine and the family, while women typically assume peripheral roles as participants or observers. This gendered hierarchy in ritual practice reflects broader patriarchal structures that limit women’s agency in religious and domestic spheres. However, exceptions arise where in certain household religious rituals, locally known as the vratas, the woman takes the space of the ‘male priest’ and carries out the ritual performance. While both men and women may participate in such rituals, most vratas are traditionally women-centric. This paper critically examines the subversion of such gendered religious roles through the lens of Itu Pujo, one such Bengali household ritual celebrated during November and December to mark the onset of the harvest season. Itu Pujo’s month-long observance is deeply embedded in local folk traditions and is believed to bring health, happiness, and prosperity to the family. A woman’s role as the ‘worshipper-priest’ challenges traditional notions of sanctified ritual space and priestly agency, thereby offering a unique site to explore female empowerment and identity construction within the household. This role reversal is not merely symbolic but constitutes a form of embodied agency, where women actively engage in the spiritual well-being of their households.