At these pandals in Bengaluru, revellers get a taste of Bihar's tradition

BENGALURU: Vibrant puja pandals,

elaborate rituals

and

cultural programmes

bring the

Bihari community

together on the

auspicious occasion of Navratri

.

Depicting the culture and rich heritage of Bihar's Mithila region -which is considered the birthplace of Sita and is mainly famous for its paintings -17 pandals are set up in areas like Marathahalli, Palace Grounds, Sahakarnagar, Manyata tech park, Sanjaynagar, Yeshwantpur, Magadi Road and Bannerghatta Road.

On Saptami, community members observe a night-long ritual called mahanisha. The next day, Ashtami, sees women from hundreds of households worship goddess Durga with special offerings.

Like every year, the pandal at RT Nagar Ganesh temple which has been erected by Siddharth Sanskritik Parishad is expected to draw the maximum visitors. On the ninth day of Navratri, 108 girl children will be fed, worshipped and gifted clothes at the venue. A special cultural programme by children is scheduled between 6.30pm and 10.30pm. On Vijayadasha mi, the last day, about 10,000 Biharis are likely to take part in a procession which will start from RT Nagar at 3pm and culminate at Ulsoor Lake, where Durga idols will be imm e r s e d . C u l t u r a l p r o grammes giving revellers a peek into mythology are organized every evening. “It is the only occasion when Biharis from different walks of life congregate in Bengaluru and seek the blessings of Ma Durga,“ said Arun Jha, secretary of the parishad.

“The history of Durga Puja in Bengaluru in tradi tional Bihari style dates back to 1972 when an idol was brought from Kolkata to Bi har Bhavan. Till 1976, idols were brought from Kolkata in trains. Now, we procure idols from local artisans who toil for months,“ said ex-president and senior member of the parishad, Harishchandra Jha.

Around 50 families living in RT Nagar are expected to take part in the celebrations.

“I have come from Mumbai to be with my family . I can't wait to join the procession to Ulsoor Lake, where I hope to meet many old friends,“ said 30-year-old Kalpana Jha, who is employed with an IT firm in Hyderabad.

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