West Bengal in festive zeal as thousands throng pandals on Mahasaptami

FP Staff • September 28, 2017, 15:43:23 IST

Festivities commenced with full fervour across West Bengal from Wednesday on ‘Mahasaptami’, marking the beginning of the worship of Goddess Durga on her four-day sojourn to her maternal abode.

Festivities commenced with full fervour across West Bengal from Wednesday on ‘Mahasaptami’, marking the beginning of the worship of Goddess Durga on her four-day sojourn to her maternal abode. AP

The day started off with morning prayers, as the rituals commenced with “Pran Pratistha” where the deity was symbolically endowed with life and invoked in a group of nine plants bunched together called the Navapatrika. AP

In Kolkata, thousands flocked to the banks of River Ganges to seek its blessing. AP

As per the custom, devotees dipped a banana sapling in the river Ganga and draping it with a sari, symbolising goddess Durga’s first day at her ancestral home. This was followed by long and elaborate rituals of the puja, which ended with floral offerings to the goddess. AP

Thousands of people from all walks of life poured into the streets and queued in front of puja pandals to view the idols, imaginative decorations and illuminations showcasing themes. AP

More than 3,500 community pujas have been organised in Kolkata and suburbs, with diverse themes, lighting and decorations wooing the revellers. The five-day carnival is the biggest annual event in this part of the world as roads are choked with humans throughout the day and night. AP