Puja pandals at Ara resembled famous temples this year

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara: The Shiv Temple of Australia, Mahavir temple of Kolkata, Victoria Palace of Kolkata, Akshardham temple of Gujarat, Manas Mandir of Varanasi and so on. With about 100 Durga Puja Samitis putting up their best show through elaborate pandalas, people of Ara were spoilt for choice as they went from one pandal to another this Navratra. They gathered in large numbers to have glimpse of the marvellous pieces of art. The beauty of the interiors, the lighting works and height of pandals and idols of the goddess Durga left the on-lookers awestruck.

And it was not just temples or architectural beauty, youngsters in the town went a step ahead in designing a pandals at Mirganj on light and sound showing Maa Durga getting supernatural powers from different gods in her bid to kill Mahishasur.

Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata is world famous but Ara  does not lag far behind when it comes to beautiful pandals. In fact, the entire Ara town had turned into a ‘City of Temples.’ The pandal of Durga Puja Samiti, Bank Colony, resembled Akshardham temple of Gujarat this year. The 80 high pandal was beautifully decorated with colourful lights. The pandal at Chandawa mor was  also a major attraction for the devotees where they queued up for offering prayers in large number. The pandal is a replica of a Shiv Temple of Australia. At Mahadeva, an idol of Maa Durga was made of mustard and was a crowdpuller.

The whole Ara town was dotted with pandals. The people have been organizing Puja at the K G Road, New Police Line, Girija Mor, Chandawa Mor, Nala Road, Mahavir Tola, Mahadeva, Bichali Road, Sheesh Mahal Chowk, Dhobi Ghatawa, Ghorna Road, Bari Mathia, Nawada, Karman Tola, Gopali Chowk, Aranya Devi, Abarpur par, Begumpur, Bhaluhipur, Chaudhariana, Mirganj for more than five decades and every year eye catching idols and pandals replicating important historical palaces or temples in the country or abroad are installed and erected.

A pandal resembling Victoria Palace of Kolkata at Ministerial Quarters, Ara, was installed by artists from Kolkata and over Rs10 lakh spent on it, said Amit Kumar Pandey, president Group Kal Mandir. A pandal replicating Shiv temple of Australia cost about Rs 6 lakh and artists from outside Bihar were called to install it, said Baul Yadav, president, Nav Yuvak Sangh Durga Puja Samiti. Durga Puja near Aranaya Devi temple is about 70 year old and this year too the organizers of the Puja installed  pandal of about 75 feet and idol of Maa Durga of 40 feet high. A pandal said to be replica of famous Manas Temple of Varanasi was set up at Syndicate at a cost of Rs 3 lakh, said Kamal Kishore Pathak, president, Navrang Kala Mandir.