The four-day Durga puja concluded on Saturday as Vijaya Dashami was observed and idols of the goddess and her constellation were immersed in Saung river near Maldevta in Raipur. Maha Dashami started with usual rituals followed by the darpan visarjan or the symbolic immersion of the idols by way of which the devotees saw the feet of the Goddess Durga in mirror. This being over, the women devotees applied Sindur (vermilion) on the forehead of the Goddess and offer her paan (betel leaf) and sweets. However, beneath the mirth lurked a sense of sorrow as immersion marks the end of the four-day Durga Puja festivities.
A large number of people from various walks of life, draped in beautiful attires, gathered at different puja pandals of Hathibarkala (Survey Of India Estate), Bengali library, Nalapani, Karanpur, Durga Bari on Cantt Road, Adhoiwala (Near Sahastradhara Crossing) and Model Colony (Araghar) among others to witness and also to take part in the immersion ceremony. The processions comprising trucks and bullock carts loaded with devotees as well as vehicles spilled on to the streets while making their way to the rivers for the culmination of the puja festivities.
According to a Bengali purohit, Durga puja festivals had assumed a universal hue with the people of all the communities participating with a sense of involvement. “This is no longer exclusive to those from Bengal and Bihar. It is fast transcending the ethnic frontiers and overwhelming people from Uttarakhand and other states now settled here. It is truly now an inclusive festival taking all in its festive folds,” he added. A series of rituals were observed at the community Durga pujas before the idols were taken out in procession for immersion.
Tapas Chakraborty, general secretary of Durga puja committee, Raipur said that the idols were carried to the immersion spot and amidst chanting of “asche bocchor abaar hobe” (the same would happen next year), and were immersed in the Saung river near Maldevta.
SK Manna, acting president of the committee, said that this year’s footfalls of the devotees have gone beyond their expectation. “Truly, Durga Puja is turning into a pan- India festival with all the communities participating with the equal gaiety and devotion,” he added.
Things culminated in the ‘Shanti Jal” or consecrated water collected from the spot of immersion being sprinkled on all who took part in the immersion.
A devotee said, “With the immersions, Goddess Durga and her children depart, leaving devotees with memories of four fun-filled days and a yearning for next year's festivities.”