Kolkata, Oct 22 (PTI) Lakhs of devotees thronged Durga Puja pandals across West Bengal on ‘Maha Ashtami’ on Sunday to see the beautiful idols and exquisite artwork.
In state capital Kolkata, beautifully decorated pandals turned into the hub of activities as long serpentine lines were seen outside them to appreciate the artwork and pray before the goddess.
In the morning, the traditional ‘Kumari Puja’ was held at Belur Math on the banks of Hooghly in neighbouring Howrah district. This Puja was started by seer Ramakrishna Paramahansha in the late 19th century.
During ‘Kumari Puja’, a little girl symbolising Mother Goddess, is worshipped by Ramakrishna Mission monks.
Throughout the day, revellers dressed in their best were seen pandal-hopping across the city.
Once dusk descended, the crowd swelled, especially near big-ticket pujas like College Square, Ekdalia Evergreen, Sree Bhumi Sporting Club, Baghbazar Sarbojonin, Jodhpur Park, Park Circus Sarbojonin, Santosh Mitra Square, Ahiritola Sarbojonin, Kumartuli Park, Babu Bagan, Deshopriyo Park, BosePukur Sitala Mandir, among others.
Traffic snarls were seen at some places in the city, even as Kolkata Police personnel did their best to control it.
In the districts, Kalyani’s ITI Durga Puja, ‘Ranga Matir Desh’ of Barrackpore’s Madhya Anandapur, Ichchapur’s Mitali Sanga and several others in Naihati, Ranaghat created waves with their creations, thanks to the excellent skills of artisans both in terms of innovation in pandal-making and lighting.
The weather department predicted a few spells of light rainfall in the next couple of days in the coastal areas and in the districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipore due to a depression over West Central Bay of Bengal.
“There may be a few spells of rain in the next couple of days and the weather may improve on October 25. There will be no large change in day and night temperatures during the next five days,” a senior official of the IMD told PTI. PTI SCH MNB
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