An eight-foot tall idol of Goddess Durga with a benign smile masking the ferocity with which she slays the demon Mahishasur, the rhythm and beat of the dhaki and the burning of the incense with the dhunuchi naach greets the visitors at the Ajaneya Swami Temple Choultry near CFTRI Main Gate, KRS Road, here.
A slice of the famous Durga puja of West Bengal has come alive at the choultry where it is being celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour with the Bengali diaspora in Mysuru adding a dash of verve to the Dasara celebrations.
The events commenced with Sashti on Friday followed by Saptami puja on Saturday. Ashtami puja will be celebrated on Sunday.
The events are being marked by special rituals and prayers followed by community lunch and cultural programmes that will be held for four days. The Bengali diaspora in the city has been celebrating Durga puja and have kept their tradition alive since 1970s.
The idol of Goddess Durga itself is typical of what is installed in the pandals in West Bengal and the local community here sought the assistance of Biswanath Pal, an artisan from Kolkata, to mould and embellish it to give it an authentic Bengal touch.
Alongside Durga are the idols of Lord Ganesh, Karthikeyana, Lakshmi and Saraswati and the priests, also from West Bengal, perform rituals and special prayers as per their hoary tradition, said T.K. Bera, former director, Rare Materials Project (RMP), Mysuru and one of the founder members of the Bengali Association, Mysuru.
“There are nearly 650 families in Mysuru some of whom are living in the city since the days of the maharajas while the new generation are employed either in CFTRI, RMP, BEML etc besides pursuing academics,” said Mr. Bera.
“Durga puja is a part of our tradition and is also an occasion for the community members to mingle and interact,” said Malay Chakravarthy, general secretary of the association and K. Roy, founder member.
The immersion ceremony will be held on Dashmi on Monday to mark the culmination of the Durga puja and the idol will be taken to Sangam in a procession, they said.
Similar events and celebrations are being held by the members of the Bangiya Samiti too.
