Altare Della Patria in Rome, Italy
BHUBANESWAR: Puja pandal organisers of the city are trying their best to make their pandals unique. The Nayapalli Durga Puja Committee this year is preparing a pandal which is a replica of Italian masterpiece Altare della Patria.
The Altare della Patria is a monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of unified Italy, and is located in Rome. It’s currently managed by the Italian Ministry of Defence. The eclectic structure was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885 and was completed in 1925.
Chitrasena Behera, the Vice President of Nayapalli Durga Puja Committee, said the design was selected to give city people a chance to see the great masterpiece.
He said around 60 artistes are working since three months and the pandal will be completed by October 14.
“We are expecting 2 lakh people every day. The cost of making the pandal was Rs 15 lakh. The idol of Maa Durga is decorated with herbal colours. Height of the pandal is estimated to be 65 ft with a width of 120 ft, he added.
Last year the committee had created a replica of the majestic Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara in Gujarat.
For the security of pandal hoppers, 50 CCTV cameras will be installed and the panel’s ambulance and a fire fighting vehicle will be on standby.
About 300 volunteers, including 100 women, will assist cops in regulating traffic in the area. Besides, two platoons of police and one platoon of traffic police will be deployed near the pandal.
