GUWAHATI, Oct 15 � On Astami puja today thousands of devotees dressed in their colourful best thronged the place of Shakti worship above the Nilachal Hills. More than 15,000 devotees in different age group visited the Kamakhya temple and offered their prayers to the Goddess seeking fulfillment of their wishes.
The secretary of the Kamakhya Devuttar Board Navakanta Sarma informed that the temple authorities have deployed more volunteers to manage the crowd. �So far the festival here is going smooth as we have deployed more volunteers,� he said adding that all the rituals here in this shrine of Shakti right to the performance of arati is attended by a large number of people on this festive occasion.
The devout crowd was noticed in all the other places of worship in the capital city. The Ugratara temple here, another place of Shakti worship attracted thousands of people today. This temple has stood out on account of its sobriety and adherence to tradition when many have jumped into the rat race to outshine each other in the front of embellishment and luxury. Devotees prefer this place because of its simplicity and scenic surrounding.
�Every year I choose this place to offer my prayers to the Goddess. The simplicity of the place kindles the spiritual fire in my soul,� said Pratibha Baruah.
A few pandals here including the one near Housefed have not gone for show and have emphasized on the spiritual aspect of the festival. The ambience in these pandals truly reflected the spirit of the puja as people of different caste and faith mingled and established the bonds of camaraderie. People of all faith partook of the prasad and enjoyed the performance of the folk artistes who are integral to the festival.
The rest of the city had a glamorous appearance with brilliant decorations put up by the puja pandals. The thematic wonders in some of the puja pandals mesmerized the pandal hoppers comprising all age. On this festive moment, even the roadside vendors are doing brisk business.
