AGARTALA, Oct 1 � Organised by the ruling Left Front Government, the five day-long Durga puja festivities in Tripura have begun with a guard of honour by State security forces to the Goddess at the Durgabari, a royal temple of the erstwhile Manikya Kings.
The guard of honour was given to the Goddess to honour the traditional system of Durgabari on the occasion of Mahashasthi yesterday, marking the beginning of the Pujas.
The Goddess has only two arms at the Durgabari Temple where the pujas are 200 years old and is currently organised by the State�s Communist Government.
Historian Panna Lal Roy, who has written several books on the history of the Manikya dynasty which ruled Tripura for at least five centuries, said in the early 19th century, Krishna Kishore Manikya Bahadur�s queen fainted after seeing the goddess with ten arms.
Thereafter, on the advice of priests, Durga has only two hands visible while the remaining eight are hidden behind her back, Roy said.
�The Durga puja at the Durgabari temple is funded and organised by the State Government and the district magistrate of West Tripura is the main sevayat of the puja,� he said.
When Tripura signed the instrument of accession with the Government of India on October 15, 1949, it was agreed that the daily work at the Durgabari temple, Tripureswari Kali Temple at Udaipur in Gomati district and some other temples would be funded and looked after by the State Government.
IG (Police control), Nepal Das said, 2,335 community and family pujas have been organised across Tripura and all arrangements for keeping the puja peaceful have been made.
He said more than 3000 security forces were deployed in the State and about 200 cc cameras were fitted in different places to keep vigil and ensure peace during the festivities. � PTI
