Amid theme push, Agartala’s 148-year-old puja at Durgabari continues to be major crowd puller

According to legend, the queen received a divine commandment successful which the goddess assured her that she would look with lone 2 arms, portion the remaining 8 arms would beryllium hidden astatine the back. This would support her mythical ‘Doshobhuja’ (ten-armed) signifier portion alleviating the queen’s fear. As a result, the idol was crafted accordingly.

A Unique Idol and Its Custodianship

Durgabari’s caput priest, Jayanta Bhattacharya, shared that the temple boasts the lone Durga idol of its kind, worshipped initially by his ancestors connected behalf of the erstwhile Manikya dynasty. Later, the authorities authorities took implicit the temple, on with Tripurasundari Temple successful Udaipur and Chaturdas Devata Bari successful Khayerpur, aft Tripura’s merger with India connected October 15, 1949.

The Durgabari temple successful Agartala. (Express photograph by Debraj Deb)

“Devi Durga was worshipped successful antithetic places wherever the erstwhile royal household had its capital, including Amarpur, Udaipur, and Old Agartala. The temple was shifted present soon earlier Ujjayanta Palace was built, and since then, the goddess has been worshipped here,” Bhattacharya said.

Ujjayanta Palace and Its Historical Significance

‘Maharaja’ Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur built the Ujjayanta Palace successful 1901 aft the aged palace was destroyed by an earthquake. The palace, which housed the authorities legislative assembly for galore years, has been the authorities depository since 2013. It served arsenic the royal residence until Tripura merged with the Indian Union successful 1949.

As per the merger agreement, the West Tripura District Magistrate is the de facto ‘sevayat’ of the Durga Bari Puja rituals, portion the DM of Gomati territory serves arsenic the ‘sevayat’ of the Tripurasundari Temple. Both temples person humanities and mythological significance, dating backmost implicit 140 years and 500 years, respectively.

Animal Sacrifice and Tradition

Buffalo sacrifice was erstwhile customary astatine Durgabari but was halted six years agone pursuing a High Court bid against ritualistic carnal sacrifice. However, a aboriginal petition allowed immoderate sacrificial rituals to continue, and portion carnal sacrifices inactive occur, the numbers person importantly decreased.

Devotees astatine the Durgabari temple successful Agartala. (Express photograph by Debraj Deb)

This year, the temple authorities person decided not to judge immoderate sacrifices from devotees. Instead, they volition sacrifice 5 animals, including a buffalo, donated by the authorities arsenic portion of the rituals. One goat volition beryllium sacrificed each time of the four-day Puja, on with a bird, which is traditionally sacrificed during the worship of the royal sword.

A Time-Honoured Puja

As contented dictates, the temple is renovated, cleaned, and painted earlier each Durga Puja. This twelvemonth was nary exception. The spacious ‘naat-mandir,’ wherever devotees stitchery to observe the rituals, has been filled with worshippers connected each Puja days truthful far. According to tradition, the Durgabari idol volition beryllium the archetypal to beryllium immersed aft Vijaya Dashami astatine Dashamighat, a fashionable immersion tract connected the Howrah River.

Every year, the idols of Durgabari are the archetypal to beryllium immersed astatine the Dashamighat immersion site, wherever the authorities constabulary set plays the nationalist anthem.

Historian Pannalal Roy, an adept connected Tripura’s royal history, explained that the Puja bhog (offerings to the deity) astatine Durgabari includes a unsocial assortment of fruits, fish, eggs, and alcoholic beverages. These offerings are successful enactment with the rituals of the Shakta bid of Hinduism.

Devotees’ Reverence

On Friday, galore devotees were seen visiting the Durgabari temple, offering prayers, and bringing their children successful hopes of receiving blessings and bully wellness from the deity.

“We sojourn Durgabari each accidental we get. Durgabari is simply a unsocial temple, and we wouldn’t miss it for anything,” said Gouri Debbarma, a section devotee.

Sankari Roy, different Agartala resident, echoed the sentiment: “This is simply a historical spot and a large spiritual shrine. Many pandals signifier Durga Puja each year, but Durgabari is thing else.”

According to officials, arsenic galore arsenic 2,850 community-organised and implicit 100 family-organised Durga Pujas are being held crossed Tripura this year.