BHUBANESWAR: The Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Committee has decided to add a silver sheen to its Durga Puja celebrations this year. The committee will be the second one in the City after Sarbajanina Durga Puja Samiti of Old Station to get a Chandi Medha (silver backdrop) for the Goddess. Work on the backdrop is already underway.
Designed like those in Cuttack, the silver backdrop is being prepared by 25 filigree artisans of a local jewellery brand. Fashioned with 30 large peacock figures and other floral designs in extremely thin silver wires, the backdrop will be 20 ft-high and 18 ft in width. Meenakari has been used in some portions of the massive structure. A total of 2.5 quintals of silver is being used for the backdrop which will be ready by October first week.
Till last year, artisans from Cuttack used to prepare zari medha for Saheed Nagar committee which started the puja in 1966. "To commemorate the 50th year of Durga Puja celebrations here, we decided to set up a Chandi Medha for the Goddess," said secretary of the committee Narayan Mohapatra.
On the other hand, Sarbajanina Durga Puja Samiti of Old Station Bazaar has decided to add eight kg silver to its Chandi Medha this year. Two years back, it had added 20 kg silver to the backdrop.
Sarbajanina Durga Puja Samiti secretary Deepak Jena said the medha and jewellery costs about `2 crore. It also includes about 750 grams of gold. "Since some portions of the Medha were broken, we decided to repair them and add more silver," he said. This year, the puja celebration here will turn 61 years.