Idol immersion marks end of Durga Puja celebrations in Tripura

A mood of sadness overwhelmed entire Tripura as Durga Pooja celebrations reached its last day on Friday.

"We celebrated puja nicely. Today is immersion and we are enjoying it. But, after immersion, when we will return home, will feel very bad. It is a mixture of happiness and sadness," said Ratna Das, a devotee.

"The puja was very good. We enjoyed along with our friends. Today is immersion, and thus, we are feeling bad. Hope, next year, the goddess will return to give us more joy and happiness," said another devotee Aditya Sankar Chakraborty.

Women thronged the marquees (makeshift temples) across the city with vermillion and sweets to bid farewell to the Goddess and her four children.

Many married woman participate in 'Sindoor Khela' (smearing of vermilion), during which they apply vermilion on the Goddess's feet or forehead, and then smear vermilion on each other while praying for the long life of their husbands.

Elaborate security arrangements by city police as well as civic authorities were in place on various ghats of the river to ensure that the immersion of the idols passed peacefully.

This year the Agartala municipal Corporation has made special arrangement for the immersion by deploying its volunteers to reduce the risk of accidents and water pollution.

Immediately after the immersion, the idols were removed from the water to reduce pollution by a dedicated team.