GUWAHATI, Oct 26 - With low-key idol immersion ceremonies at designated river ghats today the Durga Puja celebrations came to an end in the State in a never-seen-before manner. The festival that is otherwise defined by its grandiose and fervour remained a mellowed affair all through due to COVID restrictions and rains. With limited scope of pandal hopping, total restriction on fairs and roadside food stalls and intermittent rainfall, very limited footfall was recorded on the day of Saptami and Astami. The crowd, however, swelled comparatively on the day of Navami on Sunday, with people coming out to make the most of their puja holidays, even amid restrictions.
However, despite a low crowd, and strict instructions from the government, flouting of COVID norms was noticed in many puja pandals, eateries and even roadside. Forty per cent of the puja committees in Guwahati this time opted for ghot-puja, totally skipping the process of worshipping the idols of Goddess Durga and her entourage. Around 450 pujas were held in the city this year, with height of the idols restricted within five feet.
Latasil, Rest Camp, Lakhi Mandir, Geetanagar and Bishnupur Durga puja celebrations that used to be the major crowd puller in the city remained mostly deserted barring the day of Navami. As only 10 persons of the puja committees were allowed for immersion ceremony, no major processions were taken out to the riverbanks.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today offered puja at Kamakhya temple and sought blessings for the health, happiness and wellbeing of all sections of the people in Assam. Sonowal also visited Ugratara Devalaya and offered his puja there. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also visited Kamakhya temple.
A total of 1,200 devotees visited Kamakhya on the Astami day and 1,168 on Navami. Today, 720 people went for darshan, after undergoing COVID test. The temple authorities would keep the sanctum sanctorum open for darshan henceforth, said head priest Mohit Sarma.
The low key pujas also badly hit petty traders, who wait for such occasions to augment their income.
GUWAHATI, Oct 26 - With low-key idol immersion ceremonies at designated river ghats today the Durga Puja celebrations came to an end in the State in a never-seen-before manner. The festival that is otherwise defined by its grandiose and fervour remained a mellowed affair all through due to COVID restrictions and rains. With limited scope of pandal hopping, total restriction on fairs and roadside food stalls and intermittent rainfall, very limited footfall was recorded on the day of Saptami and Astami. The crowd, however, swelled comparatively on the day of Navami on Sunday, with people coming out to make the most of their puja holidays, even amid restrictions.
However, despite a low crowd, and strict instructions from the government, flouting of COVID norms was noticed in many puja pandals, eateries and even roadside. Forty per cent of the puja committees in Guwahati this time opted for ghot-puja, totally skipping the process of worshipping the idols of Goddess Durga and her entourage. Around 450 pujas were held in the city this year, with height of the idols restricted within five feet.
Latasil, Rest Camp, Lakhi Mandir, Geetanagar and Bishnupur Durga puja celebrations that used to be the major crowd puller in the city remained mostly deserted barring the day of Navami. As only 10 persons of the puja committees were allowed for immersion ceremony, no major processions were taken out to the riverbanks.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today offered puja at Kamakhya temple and sought blessings for the health, happiness and wellbeing of all sections of the people in Assam. Sonowal also visited Ugratara Devalaya and offered his puja there. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also visited Kamakhya temple.
A total of 1,200 devotees visited Kamakhya on the Astami day and 1,168 on Navami. Today, 720 people went for darshan, after undergoing COVID test. The temple authorities would keep the sanctum sanctorum open for darshan henceforth, said head priest Mohit Sarma.
The low key pujas also badly hit petty traders, who wait for such occasions to augment their income.
