TURA, May 7 � Thousands of devotees from here and adjoining areas converged into the premises of the Tura Thakurbari on the occasion of the first-ever Kalash Yatra in the region on Sunday. The Thakurbari is celebrating its centenary this year with a year-long programme.
A crowd of more than 5,000 started the yatra which started from the Thakurbari premises and ended back there after a tour of the bazaar area.
The day started with Ganesh Puja, the first deity to be worshipped by Hindus before the start of festivities. This was followed by the main yatra which started at 8.30 am.
While originally the �Kalash Yatra� was designed to only have 1008 people, more than 1,800 women took part in the yatra. �It was a true show of women power�, said Sushanto Biswas, a member of the organising committee.
PR Gupta, president of the Thakurbari CPC thanked the government, the district administration, Police, PHE, BSF and others involved in helping stage the programme. �We have seven days of festivities during which we expect more than a lakh to attend�, he said.
The Thakurbari CPC is set to hold a blood donation camp and a community marriage as part of the festivities. The celebrations are set to continue through the year after the inception of the temple in 1914 with the current leg to end on May 10.
