Bhubaneswar: Pandal hopping is set to be a delightful experience after two years of COVID lockdown as all the puja committees have come up with pandals based on unique themes and designs.
Jharpada puja mandap has a rich history known for creating replicas of world-famous structures and monuments as their theme of Durga Puja gate.
This year, the Jharpada Durga Puja Samiti has constructed a replica of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, to woo devotees and visitors.
The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It includes over three million exhibits representing antiquity, Western Europe, Middle East, Russia and many more epochs, countries and regions.
The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on December 7, Saint Catherine’s Day.
After the ‘mati anukula’ rituals were performed on September 2, the artisans commenced designing the gate of the pandal. This year the gate has been designed by artisans from West Bengal while the idol has been crafted by craftsmen of Cuttack.
“The height of the gate will be about 85 ft and width 150 ft. The height of ‘medha’ will be 20 feet and the idol about 12 feet. Durga idol will be decorated with gold ornaments,” Sikhar Jena, president of the puja committee, told Odisha Bytes.
Adequate security arrangements will be made for the convenience of senior citizens and differently-abled people.
“As there are chances of anti-socials trying to sneak in taking advantage of the rush, about 300 volunteers will be deployed at the pandal. They will also manage the traffic and parking as well,” added Jena.
He also said that Jharpada Durga Puja mandap will be decorated with special dazzling LED lights which will stand out from other pandals this year.
Adding to it, dandiya nights, ‘Ravan podi’, Meena Bazaar and various cultural programmes are major attractions of the puja pandal this time.
