Dongargarh
At the conclusion of Sharadiya Navratri, a grand procession took place late at night from Maa Bamleshwari Temple. In this procession, the women proceeded with the mother’s cheers with Jyoti Kalash on her head. A total of 901 ignited urns were immersed in the Mahavir pond. Thousands of devotees reached Dongargarh to see this unique scene and saw a wonderful confluence of faith along the pond.
This tradition of Dongargarh is considered to be religious faith as well as a historical heritage. The immersion journey started from the temple and crossed the railway track via Chinnamastika temple and reached Maa Sheetla temple. Here Maa Sheetla and Maa Bamleshwari’s Mai Jyot were met, which is characterized by this entire ritual.
The most special and unique tradition is that the Mumbai -Howrah main railway line comes in the route of this immersion journey. Rail traffic stops completely during immersion. Indian Railways are stopped by vehicles coming from both sides. The mega block remains on this busy railway line for about three to four hours. The wheels of the trains still stop in front of this confluence of faith and tradition. The foundation of this tradition was laid in the princely period.
Tradition has been going on since princely period
Raja Lal Umrao Singh, the then ruler of Khairagarh, signed an agreement with the British Government and the Bengal-Nagpur Railway on 21 August 1883, under which land and judicial rights were handed over for the construction of the railway line. Dongargarh is clearly mentioned in the documents of this agreement. It is said that besides giving land, Raja Lal Umrao Singh also laid a condition to give blocks on rail tracks for the stoppage of railways at Dongargarh station and Jyoti Visarjan Yatra during Navratri. The effect of this tradition is still alive, when the Railways stops trains in honor of this tradition of Navratri. This immersion of Navratri of Dongargarh is not just a religious event, but a confluence of history, tradition and faith, which has attracted devotees from all over the country for decades.
