Ramakrishna Mission to celebrate Durga Puja in Delhi for first time in history

For the first time in the history, Ramakrishna Mission will be organising Durga Puja in Delhi. The organisation is noted for its deep-rooted cultural and spiritual heritage and is all prepared to celebrate Durga Puja in the capital in its 96-year history.

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The puja will be held close to Ram Krishna Ashram Marg Metro Station in Paharganj. For this, a beautiful pandal has been created with a marble platform to keep the idol of Devi Durga. On the eighth day of the puja, a 'kumari puja' will be held. For those who don’t know, Kumari Puja is a ritual, wherein an unmarried teenage girl is worshipped as Devi.

Speaking on this, Swami Shantatmananda, Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Gurugram shares,“Ramakrishna Mission Delhi Main Branch in Paharganj has been in existence for nearly 96 years, and over the years, the number of devotees in the city has also increased. Looking at the large number of devotees and the increasing demand for organising Durga Puja, the new secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Delhi Swami Sarvalokanandaji felt that we can go ahead with the puja. With the permission of our headquarter Bemur Math, this beautiful programme took shape”.
He adds, “The Durga idol stands around 10-feet tall, and the entire programme is going on beautifully. Tomorrow, on Ashtami, we will also do Kumari Puja. In this puja, young virgin girls are worshipped as the goddess herself. Usually, many of the pandals in Delhi don’t perform this puja. But we are going to do this as this is a Belur Math tradition. This will be something unique for Delhi”.

Bhaskar Roy, the managing committee vice-president of Ramakrishna Mission in New Delhi, told TOI, "The significant increase in volunteers and devotees has made this event possible. We will celebrate the festival in the traditional style, following the shashtra."



Roy has been associated with the mission for the past 60 years. Apparently, the puja work began in September. All the required permissions were granted by the Belur Math headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, together known as Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKMRM).

One of the prime features of this puja would be six skilled dhakis from Bolpur, Kolkata. Besides, the bhog is also expected to be on grand with devotees and visitors coming to partake in the festivities from all over the country.

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About Belur Math

Belur Math was set up by Swami Vivekananda. He was among the famous disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Set on the banks of the Hooghly River in West Bengal, Belur Math is the headquarter of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The Mission is attached to various humanitarian and social service causes.

This year, Ma Durga's worship at Belur Math is slated for October 21 - 23, 2023.