Chronicle Reporter, Bhopal
The Navratri that comes before Diwali is called Sharadiya Navratri. This year it will start from 3 October and will go on till 12 October. In these 9 holy days, special worship, fasting, rituals and Kanya Bhojan of 9 forms of Maa Durga are done.
At the same time, the idol of the goddess is installed at various places across the city. Preparations have started to be seen in the capital. Somewhere idols are being made and somewhere pandals are being made. The whole city is glittering to welcome Maa Durga. There are some places in Bhopal where big pandals based on the theme are made. Preparations for which have been going on for a long time. People have started collecting donations in the streets and neighborhoods. Booking of idols has also started. Here many idols are made in Bhopal and somewhere they are ordered from outside. The making of the idol is going on in Itwara, Mangalwara, Lalghati of old Bhopal and Narmadapuram Road, Vrindavan Colony and Govindpura area. The sculptors say that they are preparing for the arrival of the goddess with full heart. The Navratri festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm. On this occasion, Garba and Dandiya programs are held at different places for 9 days. During this day, a special vibrancy is seen in temples, on roads and in streets and neighborhoods. Women and men go to perform Garba wearing beautiful and attractive clothes. Ghatasthapana is done on the first day of Shardiya Navratri. Along with this, barley is sown after performing special worship of Maa Durga. It is a religious belief that by doing this, happiness and prosperity is attained. Also, there is never a shortage of money in life. The pandal of the goddess will be decorated at about 1800 places in Bhopal. In these places, the biggest tableaux of the city are set up in the main places of the city like New Market, Bittan Market, BHEL, Piplani Barkheda, Nehru Nagar, in front of Jyoti Talkies and Kalibari, which are based on the theme of some big Devi Sthan. At many places, moving tableaux are also seen.
Theme based tableaux
New Market – Hinglaj Mata Mandir
Bittan Market – Ayodhya Ram Mandir
Vijay Market BHEL – Baba Amarnath Cave
The idol of the goddess is ready. Some minor touch-ups are left. On the 3rd, all the booked idols will be sold and some are also bought without booking. Some of these idols are made from plaster and Paris and some from clay.
– Madan Lal, sculptor, Narmadapuram Road
