CUTTACK: The ME-BASED welcome gates, glittering silver tableaux and idols of Goddess Durga decked in gold have been attracting devotees in droves to the pandals in the Millennium City. With a total of 160 puja pandals in the city, each of them have come up with a unique theme this year. The trendsetter, Choudhury Bazaar Puja Committee has added three more gold ‘Kalikas’ to its silver tableau.
A moving vehicle-chassis has been designed to seat the idol along with medha and take it throughout the city. The theme-based welcome arches at Khan Nagar, Badambadi, Malgodown and Chauliaganj are leaving the revellers spell-bound. At Khan Nagar a 60 feet high welcome gate replicating Baba Harbhajan Singh temple located near Nathu La border in Sikkim has been built.
“It took more than 30 local artisans around one month to construct the gate worth more than Rs 7 lakh,” said secretary of the Puja Committee, Prafulla Kumar Sahu. Similarly, Sankarpur-Badambadi Puja Committee’s welcome arch at Badambadi replicates Nepal’s Budhha temple. As many as 24 artisans from Kolkata have constructed the 78 feet by 64 feet ‘Toran’ at a cost of Rs 9.5 lakh in a month’s time, said Puja Committee president Sarbeswar Barik.
The Malgodown Puja Committee has set up an arch exclusively made of oyster shells near its altar replicating an imaginary temple housing idols of Lord Shiva, Vishnu a n d Ardhanareswar. The exquisite gate has been constructed with bamboo, ply, sack and oyster shells by a group of 25 artisans from West Bengal at `6.7 lakh in a month, informed Puja Committee secretary Nizamuddin Ahmad.
The Chauliaganj Puja Committee has set up two light gates at OMP square replicating China temple and another near its altar replicating China Gate at a cost of `6 lakh, the College Square Puja Committee has come up with two LED light gates replicating Howrah Bridge. The other Puja pandals at Manglabaag and Ranihaat, Chandni Chowk, Jobra, Chauliaganj, Haripur, Shaikh Bazaar also glittered with equally exuberance. Besides the beautiful idols of Devi Durga and Hara- Parbati, the exquisite light decorations are a crowd-puller in these areas.