Post News Network
Cuttack, March 23: The puja committees of the silver city are working overtime to ensure peaceful celebrations of the Basanti Durga Puja, which is just a couple of days away.
“Office-bearers of different puja committees gathered Monday to discuss the various arrangements of the festival. Basanti Durga Puja will commence from March 25 and the deities will be immersed in water March 30. We seek cooperation from all committee members to peacefully conclude the puja which will be a five-day affair,” said Bijaya Sahoo, convener of Shanti Committee.
“As the High Court has stayed the evacuation of Malgodown, the trader community can also join in the celebrations and make the puja a grand affair. We also want to state that we will follow police instructions to the letter while carrying out immersion processions in order to prevent any untoward incidents,” said Umesh Chandra Sahoo of Nayabazaar Puja Committee.
Basanti Durga Puja is the celebration of Durga Puja during spring time. It is a huge celebration in eastern parts of India. Basanti Durga Puja coincides with the Vasant or Chaitra Navratri celebrations.
According to scriptures, Durga Puja was originally performed during spring time. However, Lord Ram in an untimely move (Akal Bodhan) once invoked the Goddess during autumn, with people starting to follow suit ever since. Hence, the autumnal or Sharadiya Durga Puja became more popular than the original celebration of Basanti Durga Puja.
