Odisha: Durga Puja pandals take shape of iconic monuments

Durga Puja pandals in Odisha's capital city of Bhubaneswar are giving a glimpse of monuments from different parts of the country and the world to all those visiting on the occasion.

Artisans from Odisha and West Bengal have worked for nearly two months to set up some beautiful, majestic structures for housing Goddess Durga during the celebrations.

Rasulgarh Puja Pandal has been designed in line with the Royal Albert Hall of London and is decorated with almost 13 varieties of artificial gemstones. About 40 Kolkata-based artisans have worked for more than 40 days to put up the structure.

Similarly, Nayapalli Durga Puja Pandal has been designed with a budget of Rs 35-40 lakh as a replica of the Altare Della Patria of Rome. The committee engaged 70 artists to make a replica of the monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of unified Italy.

Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Pandal has been built with a budget of 30 lakh and is designed in line with Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan.

Talking about the idea of creating replicas of the monuments, Samiti members said not many people get a chance to visit foreign countries and pandals give them a chance to visualise the original ones.

According to Hindu mythology, the festivities and prayers begin with the symbolic arrival of the goddess on earth on the sixth day of the first quarter of the moon and ends on Dashami or the 10th day, which is celebrated across the country as Dussehra.

Traditionally, every pandal has an idol of Goddess Durga, depicting her slaying the demon Mahishasur. She is shown astride a lion and wielding an array of weapons in her arms.