CUTTACK: Durga Puja festivity gripped Cuttack on Sunday as devotees made a beeline to the decked-up pandals to witness 'Maha Ashtami' rituals. The glittering Chandi Medhas and theme-based pandals decorated with fancy lights were the crowd puller. As many as 156 pandals have been set up in City.
A large gathering was witnessed at the Khan Nagar puja pandal where a scene from the LoC and a Saheed Manch have been set up to pay respects to the Uri martyrs. The 120-ft long and 60-ft high 'torana' carries the theme of soldiers guarding the Nation under difficult circumstances at the LoC besides pictures of the Uri martyrs. The 16-ft high idol of Goddess Durga has been decorated with gold and silver adequately. All the puja committees are organising 'bhajan' programmes besides, cultural events, dance festivals and star nights.
The idol of the Goddess at Choudhury Bazaar is 20-ft high set against a Chandi Medha extending upto 22-ft. A 'Meena Bazaar' with around 200 stalls has been set up on the premises of the pandal.
Apart from the beautiful idols of Devi Durga at Manglabaag and Ranihaat pandals, the light decorations are a crowd-puller in these areas. A light gate fashioned like a huge Banyan tree shines bright near the Chandi Mandir.
Other pandals in the City including Chandni Chowk, Jobra, Chauliaganj, Haripur, Shaikh Bazaar also glittered with equally exuberance. The puja committees are taking no chances with the safety and security of the devotees and have installed CCTV cameras at sensitive points. Volunteers have been deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the festival.