Choudhury Bazaar Puja Pandal

The Choudhury Bazaar Puja Committee pioneered the trend of adding gold to the tableau. At the pandal, the deities—Devi Durga flanked by Goddesses Saraswati and Laxmi, Lord Ganesh, Kartikeswar on both side—and Mahisasura are decorated with heavy gold jewellery and crowns. The Goddess wears a beautiful golden crown which is designed with precious stones. After the puja was started in Choudhury Bazaar in 1956, the organisers decided to carve the backdrop of the idol in ornate silver filigree work. Around 250 kg of pure silver was used to prepare the backdrop with motifs of peacock. In 2002, the committee decided to create gold ornaments for the deities to mark its golden jubilee celebration and a golden crown of 7.6 kg was prepared for the deity. In the subsequent years, jewellery items for the accompanying deities were also prepared. Currently, the puja committee is converting the silver tableau into a golden one. The yellow metal has already been added to 10 percent of the entire structure and an 'Om' insignia on the top of the backdrop. Five of the 30 silver peacocks in the backdrop have been replaced with gold.