Akshardham temple-themed pandal at Rasulgarh

A mini bazaar will come up near the pandal, while organisers have also planned cultural programmes during the evening.
Construction of the pandal underway on Saturday| Express
Construction of the pandal underway on Saturday| Express

BHUBANESWAR: After two years of Covid hiatus, the Rasulgarh Durga Puja committee here is all set to welcome Goddess Durga with the Akshardham temple-themed pandal this year.Around 60 artisans from Kolkata have been working for over a month to set up the pandal. Artisans say the entire structure is being created with eco-friendly materials, mostly bamboo sticks and mats (chatai) and wooden ice-cream sticks.

It will be 80 feet tall and 120 feet wide. With less than a week’s time left for the festivity to begin, artisans are running against time to complete the pandal.“We have been celebrating Puja at Rasulgarh for the last three decades. Our pandal draws huge crowd every year. People appreciate our creativity and the theme,” said committee president Malay Kumar Routray.

Organisers, however, said that the Akshardham-styled pandal will not be the only draw, as efforts have been made to make darshan of the deity hassle-free.“Our Puja will also be differently-abled friendly as special arrangements will be made to facilitate their visit to the pandal hassle-free,” said Committee secretary Pradip Kumar Jena. He said the committee has also decided to provide wheelchairs for the differently-abled persons.

“Volunteers will also remain present to help and guide differently-abled persons and senior citizens at the pandal,” he said. Committee member Anil Baliarsingh said around 250 volunteers along with lady security personnel will be present to make darshan smooth. Provision of walkie talkies and 60 CCTVs has also been made.

A mini bazaar will come up near the pandal, while organisers have also planned cultural programmes during the evening. While public darshan will begin from Sasthi on October 1, the cultural programme will start from Saptami on October 2. When the height of the idol this year will be 22 feet, the committee has also decided to have free prasad distribution at the pandal from October 2 to 5.

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