Five-day Durga puja begins today

Five-day Durga puja begins today

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 26, 2017 : The Bengali community in the city has been celebrating the five-day Durga puja during Dasara for the past 33 years.

 

Artisans for making idols, a priest and his assistant, and a cook for making Bengali food come from West Bengal. Another cook for making sweets comes from Rajasthan. Fine clay is brought from the Ganges for the finishing top layer of the puja idols.

Started under the auspices of Bengali Association, now it is celebrated by the Durga Puja Celebration Committee. It includes local people, Gujaratis, and others.

This will be the 34th year of the puja organised by the committee. The main events will start on Tuesday and end on Saturday.

According to Asis Kumar Roy, General Secretary of the committee, about five artisans reach the the city a month in advance for making idols of Ganapathi, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartikeya worshipped during the Dasara.

Locally available clay is used for preparing the idols. But their finishing is done by using the clay brought from the Ganges. All the five idols are immersed on the last day at Sulthan Bathery.

The artisans also prepare three more clay idols of Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati for three more pujas which last till January. They will be immersed after the puja. Natural herbal colour is used for idols.

The priests from Bengal also bring Ganga jal with them for the puja purpose.

A cook from Bengal comes to give the authentic Bengali taste to the food, he said.

Madhusoodan Pal, who leads the team of artisans, said ornaments and costumes for the idols are also brought from West Bengal. Benaras sari is used for decorating the main idol.

The committee has geared up for the festival at Hindi Prachar Sabha in Lalbagh.



Courtesy: The Hindu