Bilaspur
The Durga Puja festival of Bengal is world famous. On the lines of Kolkata (Bengal), the worship of the Goddess Durga has been going on continuously in Bilaspur since 1923. People from other states come here every year to celebrate Durga Puja. The pandals here clearly reflect the Bengali culture and celebrations. The atmosphere is worth seeing from Panchami Tithi to Vijay Dashami. The work of building pandals has begun in Sanskardhani. Every year everyone eagerly waits to celebrate Durga Puja.
From the fifth day of Navratri, Maa sits in the pandals. Panchami Tithi is on 7th October. Every year a large number of priests come here from Bengal, who perform the rituals in the pandals. The tradition of Bodhan Puja is completed in the evening on the first day. Pandits pray to Maa to sit on the branch of the vine.
Magnificent statue and attractive pandal
The art of Durga idol and pandal is unique in Bengal. Every year, artists create grand idols of Maa Durga by combining traditional and modern styles, which are a symbol of power, compassion and beauty. Pandals are decorated on various themes, which reflect environment, culture and contemporary issues. The creativity of the craftsmen shows a confluence of art and architecture in the pandals. Which attracts lakhs of devotees and tourists. Similarly, this confluence is seen in Bilaspur as well. This festival is a living example of faith and cultural heritage.
Maa Durga came by goods train
Bhanu Ranjan Pradhan, a resident of Hemunagar, says that Durga Utsav in Bilaspur was started by the Bengali Association in the railway sector. In the year 1923, when Bilaspur was known only for rail operations, many employees from Bengal came and settled here via the Howrah-Mumbai route. Returning to Bengal was not easy for them, so they decided to celebrate Durga Puja here. Under the leadership of Bhattacharya Dada, some employees went to Bengal with their bonus money and brought the idol of Maa Durga by goods train. The idol was given a grand welcome at the railway station. The festival was celebrated by making a pandal in Chuchuhiyapara. A large number of Bengali families participated in it.
This year Sandhi Puja will be held in the morning
Sandhi Puja is an important part of the worship of Maa Durga. Sandhi Puja is performed at the end of Ashtami and the beginning of Navami. Devotees worship the form of Goddess Chamunda on this day. According to mythology and beliefs, the Goddess killed the demon Chand-Mund during the Sandhi period. Since then, the devotees of the Goddess started celebrating it as a festival. This year, the puja will be held on October 11 from 6:26 to 7:12 in the morning. In this, the Goddess will be adorned with 108 lamps, 108 lotus, 108 mango leaves, 108 Tulsi leaves, 108 vine leaves and worshipped.
