At This Durga Puja Pandal In Bhubaneswar, Take A ‘Tour Of Akshardham Temple’ [Watch]

Bhubaneswar: Like every year, except for the two years of COVID hiatus, the Rasulgarh Durga Puja pandal in Bhubaneswar will attract visitors with a unique concept this time. After creating a replica of London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2018 and a flower-decked pandal in 2019, the Rasulgarh Durga Puja Committee decided to take visitors “on a tour of Delhi’s Akshardham Temple” this time.

The pandal — 80-feet tall and 120-feet wide — has been created with eco-friendly materials, mostly bamboo, mats and ice-cream sticks, put together by craftsmen from Kolkata. The height of the idol this year is 22 feet.

“The Rasulgarh Durga Puja Committee has always attracted people by designing new and unique ideas every year. During the COVID pandemic, people could only see Devi Durga from outside the tent. However, this year we have been permitted to hold Dussehra festival with much fervour and we expect a huge crowd,” Japan Routray, secretary of the committee, told Odisha Bytes.

“We have made all arrangements for differently-abled people to make their visit to the pandal hassle-free,” he said. CCTV cameras will be installed all over the area as well as in the parking lot. Around 200 volunteers, equipped with walkie-talkies, will also be deployed to regulate movement of visitors and traffic.

Among the main attractions at the puja pandal will be Meena Bazaar, two days of ‘melody’ programme and performances by noted singers of Odisha for three days. ‘Ravan Podi’ has been discontinued for over nine years now as a measure to control environmental pollution.

Routray urged the police authorities to provide more space for parking. “Like every year, we will conduct the ‘Bhashani Yatra’ individually, instead of joining with others in a group,” he added.

While ‘darshan’ for the public will begin from ‘Sasthi’ on October 1, the cultural programme will start from ‘Saptami’ on October 2. The committee has decided to have free prasad distribution at the pandal from October 2 to 5.