Golden temple replica at durga puja

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Durga Puja begins with festive fervour on Saptami

Press Trust of India

Kokata, October 2

Symbolising the victory of good over evil, Bengal's four-day socio-cultural extravaganza, Durga Puja, began in thousands of ostentatiously decorated Pandals throughout the state amidst beefed up security.

Priests and devotees thronged the many Ghats of Ganga even before daybreak on Maha Saptami to perform the ritual 'Kalabou Snan' (bathing of the banana plant, mythical wife of Goddess Durga's son Lord Ganesh) marking the beginning of the religious ceremony.

'Bodhon', or invocation of life into the clay goddess by priests, was held at the Puja Pandals Wednesday evening.

Braving steady showers through the morning and notwithstanding an overcast afternoon sky, thousands of Puja revellers poured into the metropolis to offer 'Anjali' (floral offerings) to goddess Durga and her progeny in over 11,00 community and family Puja Pandals.

Drawing the maximum number of visitors with their innovative decorations were the red chilli Pandal of Bosepukur, homeopathy vial Pandal of Haridevpur, replica of Amritsar's Golden Temple at College Square and Boondi (sweetmeat) Pandal in Kasba.

Donned in their festive best, Pandal hoppers descended on the streets past mid-day giving traffic managers a tough time as surface and underground public transport remained choc-a-bloc with Puja revellers.

Over 65,000 police personnel lined the crowded and sensitive areas of the Kolkata city and its suburbs as security was beefed up in the entire state, especially in North Bengal, the national highways and indus

trial units.

As an additional measure, the city and state police put to use a Wireless Trunking System for the first time to ensure better co-ordination among the intelligence agencies