look news india
On the holy occasion of Shardiya Navratri and Durga Puja, the entire West Bengal is immersed in the welcome of Maa Durga. The whole world is aware of the grandeur of the traditional and huge pandals of Kolkata, but this time the attention of the entire country and international media has been attracted by Siliguri, the most important commercial center of North Bengal. Siliguri’s prestigious ‘Central Colony Durga Puja Samiti’ has made its 64th year celebration historic and unforgettable. This year, the divine idols of Maa Durga and her children installed in the pandal have been decorated with about 100 kg of pure gold jewellery. As soon as the rays of light fall on the mother’s golden crown, necklace and weapons, the entire sanctum sanctorum glows with a supernatural aura. To capture this golden adornment in their eyes, lakhs of devotees are flocking not only from Siliguri but also from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, neighboring states Sikkim, Assam, Bihar and the border country Nepal. This is the first time in the puja history of North Bengal that the goddess has been adorned with such huge quantities of real gold, which has brought it to the top in the list of most popular pandals in the entire country.
The intricacies of this golden makeup of Maa Durga are enough to mesmerize anyone. Renowned jewelery makers and experienced artisans of Bengal have created these traditional Bengali designed jewelery after many months of tireless work. The divine armaments adorned in the ten hands of Mahishasuramardini, which include the main trident, chakra, khadga, shield and bow and arrow, are completely overlaid with gold sheets and carved designs. The huge crown decorated on the mother’s head, traditional nose ring, earrings, multi-threaded ‘Sitahar’, ‘chick’ and waistband are giving the mother’s loving form the glory of a queen. Not only Maa Durga, but the idols of Lord Ganesha, Kartikeya, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati seated with her have also been adorned with special jewelery made of gold and precious metals. The estimated market value of this unprecedented gold jewelery is estimated to be more than Rs 150 to 170 crore. The pandal was inaugurated by Dr. Jayant Roy, Lok Sabha MP from Jalpaiguri, amid Vedic chanting and blowing of conch shells, after which there has been a steady stream of visitors at the main gate of the pandal.
The presence of such a huge amount of gold jewelery has made the venue the most sensitive area in terms of security. That is why Siliguri Metropolitan Police and Puja Committee together have transformed the entire Central Colony complex into an impenetrable fort. More than 40 high-definition and night-vision CCTV cameras have been installed throughout the pandal, the sanctum sanctorum, entry-exit gates and surrounding access roads. To monitor the live feed of these cameras, a 24-hour state-of-the-art Central Command and Control Room has been set up inside the pandal. Siliguri Police Commissioner himself reached the spot along with senior police officers and closely inspected the security arrangements and emergency exit routes. A security perimeter of bulletproof and high quality transparent toughened glass has been built around the idol, so that devotees can have darshan without any hindrance, but no unauthorized person can come in direct contact with the jewellery.
The security arrangements are not limited to cameras only, but the alertness of the soldiers on the ground is no less than any VVIP protocol. Apart from armed personnel of the state police, trained private commandos and bouncers from a reputed national security agency have been deployed at the four corners of the sanctum sanctorum round the clock. It has been made mandatory for every devotee entering the pandal to pass through multi-zone door frame metal detectors (DFMD). Along with this, male and female security personnel are conducting intensive searches of every visitor with hand-held metal detectors. There is a complete ban on carrying any type of bag, sharp object or flammable material inside the pandal. Women police personnel and Civil Defense volunteers have been deployed to facilitate crowd management, so that senior citizens, women and children do not face any inconvenience in the queues. To deal with any unexpected power cuts at night, high capacity automatic generators and emergency backup lights have been installed, so that the campus is never left in darkness even for a second.
The architecture (theme) of the pandal has also been designed in such a way that it is in harmony with the golden adornment of the mother. Seen from outside, the entire pandal looks like an ancient royal palace of Rajasthan or the Golden Temple of South India. Using bamboo, plywood, thermocol, eco-friendly fibers and golden fabrics, the artisans have created intricate carvings on the pillars and domes of the pandal that are reminiscent of ancient Indian architecture. Officials of the Central Colony Durga Puja Committee say that they try to give a unique theme to the society every year, but in the 64th year, their resolution was that the people of North Bengal do not need to go to Kolkata and they can experience the grandeur of global level in their own city. The special warm lighting inside the pandal along with the devotional music and the echoes of the stotras of Maa Durga is making the entire atmosphere ethereal and emotionally rich.
As soon as the news of this golden idol of Maa Durga spread on social media and news media, unprecedented traffic and excitement is being seen on the roads of Siliguri. Long queues of vehicles are visible on the main roads of the city like Sevak Road, Hill Cart Road, Vidhan Road and Hashmi Chowk. Due to Durga Puja, there has been a huge boom in local business, especially restaurants, hotels, taxi services and traditional sweet shops. This event has become a double center of attraction for the tourists coming from outside, who on one hand are heading to the valleys of Darjeeling and Mirik, while on the other hand, in the evening, they are reaching this golden pandal of Siliguri to have darshan of the Mother Goddess. The local administration has created special no-entry zones and adequate parking spaces to keep traffic flowing during peak puja days. This amazing confluence of devotion, art, wealth and security proves that when faith is combined with artistry and public support, it gives a new height to the self-esteem and cultural identity of an entire city on the map of the country.