Dugra Puja 2024: Durga will be seated in Kedarnath in Korba and in Bhadrakali temple somewhere else

Naiduniya Representative, Korba. Preparations have begun in various festival committees for the Navratri festival starting from October 3. The pandal of the Sarvajanik Durga Puja Festival Committee of Amaraiyapara is being given the shape of the Kedarnath temple.

In the Durga Utsav pandal of Maharana Pratap Nagar, devotees will get a glimpse of the Bhadrakali temple of West Bengal. Enthusiasm is being seen among the devotees about the festival. Sculptors who have arrived in the city from Kolkata have started giving shape to the idols. In the attractive pandals, Goddess Divya Shakti and Kaal Bhairavi will be seen in the form of Mahishasura Mardini. Sculptor Govind Kumar Pal says that the demand for bigger idols has increased this time compared to last year.

The cost has increased due to the increased number of artisans required to prepare a large statue. The sculptor said that this time he is preparing statues for the city as well as for the suburban areas. During the construction of the statue, the convenience of carrying it from one place to another has to be kept in mind. The cost of the decoration material for the statues has increased as compared to last year.

Sculptor Pal said that two types of idols are being prepared. In the first type of idol, Durga Devi's clothes, jewellery, various makeup items and weapons etc. are being prepared from clay. For the second type of idol, clothes, hair, weapons etc. have been bought from the market. The first type of idol costs more. The sculptor said that big idols are being made only on advance payment.

Apart from the city, preparations have also been started by the festival committees in suburban areas like Katghora, Balco, Jamnipali, Chhuri, Pali, Dipka, Baki Mongra, Jatga, Pasan, Tuman etc. Cultural programs, especially Jagrata, will also be a hit during Navratri. The demand for the organizers has increased. Preparations have begun in temples; apart from the pandals, preparations for puja rituals have also begun in goddess temples.

Devotees wishing to light the Manokamna Jyoti Kalash in the city's prominent Sarvamangala and Bhavani temples are arriving to get receipts. Jawara and Jyoti Kalash will also be the center of attraction in the temples of Madwarani, Kosgai, Chaiturgadh etc. situated on the hill.

Navratri festival will be celebrated with gusto in Devi Chaura of rural areas. Decorations for the rituals have been started. Youngsters will dance in Dandiya and Garba. While Durga idols in pandals are an attraction during Navratri, the enthusiasm of the youngsters participating in Garba and Dandiya dances held in the premises is worth seeing.