PEOPLE WORSHIP MAHA GAURI-THE EIGHT FORM OF GODDESS DURGA, DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION NOT ALLOW SET OF PANDALS WITHOUT PERMISSION, BANNED PLAYING OF DJ AT HIGH PITCH

Ara (RNI) Thousands of devotees thronged the Puja pandals in different parts of Bhojpur district seeking blessings of Maha Gauri, the eight form of Goddess Durga on the Mahaashtami day of Navaratra on Sunday.

With the opening of eyes of Maa Durga in the evening on Saturday,  scorching Sun and blistering heat could not deter the spirit of the devotees particularly women and girls who from early morning on Mahaashtami of Sharadiya Navaratra on Sunday, invoked about 900 aesthetically decorated pandals in the town and rural areas of Bhojpur district.

Traditional rituals marked the puja while the roads in Ara town remained swarmed with young and old alike almost throughout the day. The rush only increased after the sundown with people enjoying with family and friends and making the most of the roadside eateries.” Everyday many devotees come to Maa Aranya Devi temple with their ‘mannats’” said Prabhakar Mishra, a priest at the temple. The slight October nip in the air ushered in just the right atmosphere for the Puja celebrations. Shopkeepers of roadside eateries laughed all the way to the bank as people literally queued up for savouring the delicacies on their menu that included chowmeain, momo, chaat, samosa, litti-chokha and desserts. “My daughter insisted on having gol-gappas and would just not accept my pleas that they were not hygienic. I had to give in,” said Birendra Dubey of Club Road who was moving around the pandals with her son and daughter.

Auto drivers also raked in the moolah with many people ‘reserving’ the vehicles to move around the city with their families. Temporary stalls selling puja materials like ‘Mata ki chunari’ and flowers also did brisk business during the Navratra.

Devotees made a beeline for chatching a glimpse of Maa Durga’s grandeur at the Mahavir Tola, Nawada, Katira, Pakari, New Police Line, Dhobighatawa, Old Police Line, Badi Mathia, Patel Bus Stand, Budia Maayi, Shivganj, Pakari, Maruti Nagar, Mir Ganj, Mahadeva, Sheesh Mahal Chowk pandals, D T Road, Bank Colony, Bazaar Samiti, Zero Mile. The Nala road crossing and K G Road area also remained heavily crowded.

Paldal hoppers had a hectic schedule as about 900 pandals have come up in Bhojpur district this puja. ‘Over the last few days, I’ve been reading about various attractions of different Puja pandals in the newspapers. So I finally decided to take my family out to show them a few on Wednesday,” said a serviceman, Ram Kumar, a resident of D T Road.

With sponsors contributing sizeable amounts for the celebrations, the decorations outside the pandals appeared to be more expensive than last year. Beautiful arch patterns, colourful rolex and LED lights decked up the paths leading to the pandals. However, Badi Mathia area residents are missing out on the roadside decors near the Mahavir Temple due to heavy traffic and residents of K G Road due to bad condition of road.

Besides, thousands of men, women and children thronged the Sheetala Mata temple at Shivganj area in the evening on Sunday to take part in the Mahaarati of Maa Maha Gauri, the eight form of Maa Durga as ever. The Mahaarati was organized by Dr. Ashok Kumar Sinha, a renowned physiotherapist of Bhojpur district. He and his family members maintain the temple the whole year and organize Mahaarti every year during the Mahaashtmi of Sharadiya Navratra.

Meanwhile, the puja organizers and the police had a tiff as the police preventing them from using Disk Jokey (DJ) at high pitch in the late evening on Sunday. The Bhojpur district administration had directed earlier all the puja organizers not to play DJ at high pitch and directed the organizers to take permission prior to installation of idols and set up of pandals but with the opening of eyes of Goddess Durga in the evening, the puja organizers, overlooking the direction, started playing DJ at high pitch that marred the peace of the people living near the areas. Reliable sources also said that some of the puja organizers did not seek permission prior to installation of idols and set up of pandals though the district administration is keeping close eyes on such puja organizers.