City markets bustle as devotees prepare for Shardiya Navratri

Prayagraj: Ahead of the beginning of Shardiya Navratri from Monday, the prominent city markets are buzzing with activities as devotees, especially women, are busy making purchases of essential puja items and decoratives.Shardiya Navratri will begin on Sept 22 and ends on Oct 2 with Vijayadashami. Noted religious scholar Dr Amitabh Gour told TOI that: "One of the most significant Hindu festivals is the nine sacred days when devotees offer prayers to the Goddess Durga. The Shradiya Navratri falls during the month of Ashwin and devotees celebrate these days with devotion and fervor." Meanwhile, markets in Rajapur, Chowk, Civil Lines, Katra, Sulemsarai, Mundera, Rambagh, Daraganj and Mumfordganj are decked up with decorative and puja articles. Traders said devotees have started arriving at shops to purchase puja essentials. The sale of chunari has gone up manifold ahead of the festival. Moreover, temple authorities have also started decorating temple premises for the festival. Meanwhile, senior cops on Sunday reviewed security arrangements at prominent temples, including Alopi Devi, Kalyani Devi and Lalita devi temples, and decided to deploy adequate forces for crowd control.