Bhubaneswar: In this Durga Puja, all roads lead to Shahid Nagar where the Puja Committee has created a Pari Mahal (the Palace of Fairies). However, it is not a replication of the seven-terraced Mughal Garden located in J&K). It is an imaginary Pari Mahal and, hence, the organisers also call it their ‘Kalpana Mahal” — an imaginary palace of fairies.
The Shahid Nagar Puja Committee is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and with a budget of anything between Rs 30-40 lakh, decided to present something unique during the Durga Puja. It created an 80-foot-high and 120-foot-wide Pari Mahal tower. It took more than 50 craftsmen to build it. The toran work started from Ganesh Chaturthi.
As usual, this time too, the attractive pandal has been made with eco-friendly substances and natural colours have been used. The entire toran is also made of bamboo. The idol of Goddess Durga is 12 feet high and is adorned with a silver medha, gold crown, and adorned with gold and silver ornaments.
Like every year, light decoration of the Puja pandal and adjoining areas has been given importance. For this, the committee hired the services of a light decorator from Kolkata. The toran of the Shahid Nagar puja mandap with colourful clothes and lights is eye-catching.
The committee has arranged for cultural programmes at the pandal from October 6 to 10. Hymns will be offered every evening. A Meena Bazar has been set up and cultural programmes are being held on the Puja Mandap premises for the entertainment of the Puja revelers.
The Goddess and her children will be offered a variety of bhogs and pithas, including Manda Pitha, Arisa Pitha along Dahi Pakhal from October 6 to 12.
This year’s Bhasan festival or immersion procession will include the playing of the Nashik dhol from Maharashtra along with traditional musical instruments. The volunteers will ensure that the immersion of the idols is concluded peacefully. Additional security arrangements have been put in place to avoid any untoward incident during the festivities at the puja premises.
Like every year, this time too there is a queue system for the darshan of the deities; CCTV cameras have been installed for safe and easy darshan by women, senior citizens, and Divyang devotees. More than 30 police personnel and firemen are present at the venue round-the-clock along with volunteers to manage the crowd and ensure that everything goes on peacefully.
Meanwhile, the Maha Navami Puja started at the pandal early this morning amid devotion and fervor. However, there is also an undertone of gloom as Maha Dashami Puja, marking the end of the five-day festivities will also commence later in the day. Thousands of devotees have already started thronging the pandal for the final day of the celebrations.
