From Mayukh Goswami
Mangaldai : Despite the COVID 19 pandemic, the members of Royal dynasty of Koch king Dharma Narayan here are all set to celebrate the Durga puja festival with more than four hundred years history and tradition. The festival will be celebrated from next Thursday in all the three Raja Howlis namely Gakhirkhowa Howly, Dangar Howly and Mohanpur Howly near here. Like the previous years idols of Goddess Durga in her ‘Ranachandi ” (warrior) form with its face red in appearance will be installed following traditional rituals but free any artificial and noisy touches. Among these three celebrations, like the previous years in Gakhirkhowa Howly there will be sacrifices of animals and birds before the deity . However unlike previous years this time the Royal family will refrain themselves from sacrificing male buffalo. ” We will observe the puja following all COVID protocols set by the administration. Initially we were planning to observe it with a ‘ghot’ in stead of idols of the deities. But later we have decided to bring in readymade idols smaller in size from Kalaigaon. This time sacrifice of buffalo will not be performed.”,said Kumar Dharmendra Narayan Deb, a member of the Royal dynasty while talking to this correspondent on Monday. On the other hand due to the ongoing COVID situation, the celebration of Durga puja, one of the biggest festival of the State is most likely to be a low key affairs. According to an official report organisers of only seventy eight community pujas so far have approached the authorities for necessary permission against 188 and 184 in last two years respectively.
