32 silver tableaux add glitter to Dussehra in Odisha’s Cuttack city
Choudhury Bazar Puja panel is now planning to replace its silver tableau with gold next year
Bhubaneswar: Four more Puja committees in Odisha’s Cuttack city have made it to the coveted list of pandals having silver tableaux for celebration of Dussehra festival.
The Puja committees of Nima Sahi, Nimchouri, Mohamadia Bazaar and Kafla Bazaar have designed silver tableaux for this year’s Dessehra celebration.
With this, total number of Puja panels having silver tableaux for Dussehra celebration in Cuttack has reached 32.
Around 2.8 quintals of silver has been used for crafting the tableau of Kafla Bazar Puja committee. The Puja panel of Mohamadia Bazar has designed its tableau by using around 1.5 quintals of silver, sources said.
The newly-introduced silver tableau at Nimchouri Puja pandal weighs around 1.5 quintal while Nima Sahi committee has designed a 15-ft-high silver tableau for this year’s Dussehra, sources added.
According to the locals, Choudhury Bazar Puja committee had introduced silver tableau for Dussehra celebration in the year 1956. The panel had designed gold crown and other ornaments for Goddess Durga in 2002.
“Cuttack city is well-known for its lavish celebration of Dussehra. This year, as many as 32 Puja committees in Cuttack have their silver tableaux. At least 10 panels have arranged gold crowns and ornaments for the idols. They have spent around Rs 100 crore for crafting silver tableaux and gold ornaments. The Puja panel of Choudhury Bazar is now planning to replace its silver tableau with gold next year,” said a local.
It is believed that Shri Chaitanya had started the tradition of Durga Puja or Dussehra in Cuttack during the 15th century.
The practice of animal sacrifice during Durga Puja in the Silver City was discontinued in 1982, sources said.
The locals claimed that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who was born in Cuttack city, had introduced community Durga Puja at Odia Bazar.
“Community celebration of Durga Puja in Cuttack had started around 500 years ago. Balu Bazar Durga Mandap is the oldest Puja mandap in the city. This year, Dussehra is being celebrated at around 180 pandals across the city,” he added.
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