New Delhi, Oct 16: Durga Puja celebrations officially began in several parts of the nation as Navratri reached its sixth day. The pandal doors were opened to the public, drawing thousands of devotees seeking blessings.
The city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand transformed into a vibrant hub of devotion, joy, and celebration as community-led festivities reached their peak on Friday.
Major socio-cultural and religious organisations, including the Hindi Club, Ranikudar, Sri Sri Rankini Mandir, Sri Utkal Durga Puja Committee, Agrico Puja Committee, and Tuiladungri Puja Committee, unveiled massive, intricately designed pandals. Elaborate thematic decorations, synchronised light displays, and traditional Vedic rituals have deeply immersed the local residents in the spirit of worship.
Jamshedpur boasts a legacy of hosting approximately 500 distinct Durga Puja celebrations across the city, making it one of the region's largest cultural congregations. Local organising committees have deployed dedicated volunteers and coordinated infrastructure to manage the heavy footfall, ensuring safety and accessibility for families and visitors. As the multi-day festival progresses, the entire city remains unified in a rare blend of community bonding and spiritual reverence.
As the nation marked the sixth day of Shardiya Navratri 2006, dedicated to Maa Katyayani, pandals were adorned across cities in West Bengal and other states, including Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Devotees were seen hopping between pandals and seeking blessings of the Goddess.
The unveiling of Goddess Durga’s idol at Kolkata’s renowned Tala Barowari’s 106th Durga Puja celebrations, a devotee and organiser, Abhishek Bhattacharya, said, “We worship the Shakti in three forms: one is Durga, one is Saraswati, and one is Lakshmi. We know through the Puranas and Vedas that Shakti possesses the divine power of Dasha Maha-vidya and Navadurga - the Navadurga of Uma. This is what we have tried to portray in our pandal.”
Furthermore, in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur, a seven-day Durga Puja festival has been organised from October 15 to 21, featuring religious rituals, cultural performances, bhajan evenings, and community feasts, with the inauguration by Mayor Deepak Bali.
In Jharkhand, JMM general secretary Binod Kumar Pandey and party spokesperson Manoj Kumar Pandey inaugurated the Durga Puja pandal at Harmu Panch Mandir near Harmu Chowk by cutting the ribbon.
Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, artist Hafizuddin Ahmed spoke to IANS and narrated how he has been making Ravan effigies for Dusshera for the past 50 years. "I make effigies of Ravana, I make Tazia, I do set/scenery design work, and if any order comes from the film industry, I handle that too.
As for how many generations, he said, "I watched my father work, and he told me that his father and grandfather also used to do this same work.”
--IANS