‘Bahubali’ to ‘Red Fort’: Puja pandals to offer a visual treat
LUCKNOW : Now that the rain disruptions are over, finally the pandals showcasing the royal glory of epic Bahubali’s Mahishmati empire, Chittor Fort and Lal Qila are ready to host Goddess Durga.
For the past one month, more than 100 artisans had been working at different places in the city to set up the pandals. The last week of September had dismayed them but the shining sun brought back the smile on their faces as well as those of the organizers who had staked a lot to give Durga Puja a new theme.
In Sahara States, Jankipuram, people will see the 10-armed Goddess in all her magnificence in a pandal inspired by the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Baahubali’. The pandal design includes the fictitious ‘Mahishmati palace’ shown in the movie along with a replica of the Chittorgarh Fort, synonymous with the legend of Rajput queen Padmavati.
Organiser Sadbhavna Sanskritik Samiti has used as much as 3.5 lakh metre cotton cloth, four quintals of iron nails, a quintal of pins and 650 litres of paint.
“We thought of doing something different this time. We have been organizing Durga Puja for 19 years,” said president Saurav Bandyopadhyay.
The idea behind choosing the theme was that both the movies were a hit, , he said.
Bandyopadhyay said artisans from West Bengal worked day and night to complete the task in time.
“Around 5,700 bamboos have been used. The Baahubali pandal is 100 feet wide and 90 feet high,” he added.
The organisers have also dubbed it as a symbol of regional harmony, as in the north Indian city of Lucknow, Goddess Durga will be worshipped in a grand pandal created by artisans from the eastern part of the country (West Bengal). The theme of the pandal is inspired by a South Indian superhit movie (Baahubali) and the royalty of the Chittorgarh Fort in west India.
Meanwhile, Lucknow’s Anand Nagar will host the Goddess in a pandal which is a a replica of the Red Fort. “Artisans worked for almost a month and today it has been given the final touch,” said Sujoy Chattarjee, member of the Anand Nagar Durga Puja organizing committee.
He said, “It was a difficult task. Lal Qila was not an easy theme. Around Rs 6 lakh have been spent on it so far and tomorrow morning puja will begin.”
He said that it would be the first of its kind Pandal in Lucknow.