Durga idols immersed in Meghalaya

Four days of revelry and merriment in Meghalaya came to an end on Friday as idols of goddess Durga and her four children were immersed by devotees in rivers across the state on Bijoya Dashami.

The banks of the Umkhrah river and other rivers wore a festive look as puja organisers came in colourful processions reverberating with the sounds of drums.

Hundreds of devotees, including the young, came together to gently lower the idols into the river and bid them farewell with moist eyes.

"The immersion ceremony symbolises the end of the goddess' annual sojourn to her paternal home and she returns to her husband Lord Shiva at their heavenly abode in Mount Kailash," said J.L. Das, a devotee.

Tight security arrangements were made at the river banks and launches were kept ready to rescue people in case of accidents, police said.