BHUBANESWAR: Even as puja committees across the city strive to outdo one another with unique pandal designs, the Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Samiti here has decided to infuse a blend of different architectures in its pandal as the main highlight this year.
‘Myriad Palace’ as the organisers call it, the pandal will be 104-feet-high and 120-feet-wide and constructed using a combination of styles and architecture of temples, castles and Arabic structures.
“Instead of replicating any theme, we decided to innovate something new. Accordingly, the youth members of our club came up with the idea of this unique model. To translate it into reality, we even prepared a mini 3D replica of the pandal,” said Sachi Nandan Nayak, general secretary of Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Samiti.
The gigantic pandal will be an eco-friendly structure built mostly using bamboo and plywood. Around 80 artisans from West Bengal are working in three shifts to build the unique structure, Nayak said.
This apart, a 17-feet-high idol of Goddess Durga adorned with a 2 kg gold crown, and a large silver tableau at the backdrop weighing around 170 kg, will be the centre of attraction in the pandal. While the puja rituals will begin early, visitors will be able to have darshan of the Goddess at the pandal from Saptami onwards.
Around two dozens of CCTV cameras will be installed at the venue and 100 volunteers along with armed security personnel deployed for the safety and security of visitors, organisers said.
Keeping in view the huge rush, the organisers this year have decided to open a first-aid centre that will function even during the nights.