BHUBANESWAR: It's a hill station at the heart of Capital City. In a deviation from popular themes, Rasulgarh Puja Committee has come up with the idea of a hill station as its Dussehra puja pandal this year.
The committee has roped in artisans from West Bengal for designing the replica of a mountain for the purpose. A railway line and a train passing through the hilly area are the added attractions. Natural plants have been used to give a feel of the wild and sculpted birds fixed on the artificial mountain.
Above the train line, several houses have also been constructed on the 80 ft high mountain, which also has a temple on the top.
The puja committee members said inside the pandal, lives of primogenitors have been depicted along with their weapons, hunting techniques and cooking methods.Besides the unique theme for the pandal, the committee is leaving no stone unturned to make a striking idol of Goddess Durga. West Bengal based artisan, Bidut Jana, is crafting around 11-ft tall idol and for the backdrop (medha), a Cuttack-based artisan has been roped in. The entire cost of the decoration will be around `35 lakh, the members said.
Considering that the structure is a closed one, the committee will instal 10 air-conditioners and standing air-coolers inside the pandal so that the visitors do not feel suffocated. Two wheel-chairs will also be made available for senior citizens visiting the pandal.
The committee has invited a Cuttack-based melody group and some Ollywood actors to perform during the Puja.For law and order and traffic management, Rasulgarh Puja Committee's 100 volunteers will assist the Commissionerate Police. The committee members will also have four fire extinguishers inside the pandal along with a firefighting vehicle stationed at the venue to tackle any mishap.