After two years, the Bengalis in the city are celebrating the Durga Puja with full gusto and religious fervour.
The sound of dhak, a traditional percussion drum, is heard in the sarbojanin Durga pandals in the city amid Vedic hymns and mantras. The sound of the conch shells is once again reverberating in the pandals.
“We have performed the puja in a low-key manner in the last two years keeping in mind the COVID-19 protocols. But this year we are back with all the festivities,” said Biswanath Burman, General Secretary of Sarbojanin East Coast Railway Durga Puja Committee, which is celebrated in Waltair Kalibari.
Bengali Association is also celebrating the Durga puja at the Kalyanamandapam, which is located opposite GVMC Indira Priyadarshini Stadium in the Old Town area.
“As usual, we are organising bhoj prasad on all the three days from Maha Saptami (October 2) to Maha Navami (October 4),” said the association’s secretary Tapan Bhattacharjee.
This association is the oldest Bengali Association in the city that has been celebrating the Durga puja in Visakhapatnam since the early 1930s.
Durga Puja is also being celebrated by Utsab Cultural Association at AMCOSA and Ukkunagaram Durga Puja Committee at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s Kalibari complex.
Apart from daily pujas and bhoj, the evenings are laced with various cultural programmes on all the festive days that ends with Vijayadasami, said Dr. Alok Majumdar of Utsab.
Festive mood
Several pandals were erected as part of Sri Sarannavaratri celebrations at various places in the city. The two-year gap in celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have been made up this year.
Special pujas are being offered to Sri Durga Mata and the streets on which the pandals were put up were illuminated with colourful serial lights. During the afternoons, food is being served to devotees as part of the festival.
Special pujas are being organised at various temples in the city as part of Sarannavaratri celebrations.
‘Gajalakshmi’ alankaram
The idol of Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi at Burujupeta was decorated as ‘Gajalakshmi’ on Monday. The Goddess was worshipped with one lakh colourful bangles.
Minister for Tourism R.K. Roja and MLC Varudhu Kalyani had darshan of the deity on Monday.
Earlier, the Minister and others were received by the temple Executive Officer K. Sirisha as per temple traditions.
‘Annapurna Devi’
The idol of the deity at Sri Kanyaka Parameswari temple was decorated as ‘Annapurna Devi’ on Monday. A total of 102 rice packets were spread out all over the temple. These rice packets would be donated to 102 poor Brahmins on October 7.
At Visakha Sri Sarada Peetham, Goddess Sri Rajasyamala was decorated as ‘Maha Kali’. Chandi Homam, Rajasyamala Homam, Chaturvedi and Devi Bhagavata Parayana were performed on Monday.
Ms. Roja performed special pujas at the temple. She later took the blessings of the seers Swami Swaroopanandendra and Swami Swatmanandendra. MLA Adeep Raj was also present.
ISKCON, Vizag, is gearing up for Vijaya Dasami festival on Wednesday (October 5).
Vijaya Dasami is the day on which Sri Rama killed Ravana. The festival symbolises the victory of good over evil. Special pujas would be performed to Sita Rama Lakshmana and Hanuman and devotees sing bhajan kirtans, praising the glories of Lord Ramachandra throughout the day.
A special Ravan Dahan programme will be arranged from 5 p.m. A 50-foot effigy of Ravana would be burnt to mark the victory of good over evil. A special firecracker show and cultural programmes will be organised and it would be followed by a special discourse on ‘Ram Lila’.
Minister for Industries and IT Gudivada Amarnath would participate as the chief guest.
The programme would conclude with ‘dinner prasadam’ for all devotees, according to Samba Das, president, ISKCON, Sagarnagar.
More details can be had from Vamsi Krishna Prabha on the mobile no. 8978971415
Published - October 03, 2022 08:11 pm IST
