UP’s meditation centre gets a replica in Cuttack

CUTTACK: Revellers will be greeted with a slice of Varanasi this Durga Puja in Cuttack as the Khannagar-Khapuria Shilpanchal Puja Committee is all set to come up with a welcome arch replicating the Swarved Mahamandir Dham of the holy city this year.

Measuring 60-feet-tall and 50-feet-wide, the welcome arch is being constructed by Hanuman Decorator of Cuttack’s Padmapur locality at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.

Committee secretary Prafulla Kumar Sahoo said around 30 to 40 artisans have been engaged by Raj Kishore Sahu, proprietor of Hanuman Decorator, for erecting the decorative welcome arch.

“It is being made using bamboo, plywood, cardboard, plaster of paris, fabric and different eco-friendly colours. Around 80 per cent of the construction work is already complete and we hope to wrap up the rest by October 16,” he said.

The Goddess Durga idol, measuring 8-feet-tall, is being sculpted by artist Surendra Behera of Kathagada Sahi and his associates. The puja committee has prepared a budget of Rs 40 lakh towards observing the festival, Sahoo informed.

“We have also planned to distribute 10,000 saplings of mango, jackfruit, blackberry and neem, etc., to the visitors on Sashti, i.e., October 17. Various cultural programmes are also in pipeline for the five days of Durga Puja, for which reputed artistes have been roped in,” he said.

As per the puja committee, residents of Khannagar and its adjacent areas started celebrating Durga Puja inside a thatched house back in 1952 by worshipping a clay idol of a five-faced Lord Shiva. Later, they worshipped Goddess Bagalamukhi for a few years before switching to Goddess Durga since 1962. A crown made of gold weighing around 3 kg was constructed for the Goddess in 2018.

In 1980, the puja committee members constructed a concrete puja mandap. Khannagar-Khapuria Shilpanchal Puja Committee is particularly known for its innovative welcome arches, some of which were themed around Operation Sindoor, Puri Shree Jagannath temple, Nathu La Pass, Vaishno Devi temple, Akshardham temple, Amarnath Cave, Kedarnath temple, Minakshi temple, etc.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest