E-Paper
108 diyas lit at Kali Bari during Sandhi Puja
Thousands attended Durga puja pandals for Sandhi puja, a sacred ritual marking the peak spiritual moment, celebrating Goddess Durga’s triumph over demons.
Even before the sunrise, thousands headed to their nearest Durga puja pandal on Friday to take part in Sandhi puja, the most sacred ritual during the five-day Durga puja celebrations held on Friday.
At the 162-year-old Kali Bari Temple in Ghasiari Mandi, the Maha Ashtami puja began at 3:45 am and continued till 6 am, said Amit Goswami, its chief purohit who was accompanied by Rupnath Mahapatra and Pran Gopal Mishra. Sandhi Puja began at 6:24 am and continued till 7:12 am, he added.
“The term Sandhi suggests the union of two things. It comprised of concluding 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami. It is believed that during this time Goddess Chamunda appeared in the fearsome form of Goddess Durga and killed two demons named Chanda and Munda who tried to attack her. The very next day, Durga, seated on a lion, killed Mahishasura. Sandhi is the time when the powers of the universe are at their peak, making it an ideal moment for spiritual practice,” Goswami explained to devotees before the start of the sacred ritual.
The next 48 minutes saw purohits invoking the Goddess in the form of Chamundaya by offering 108 lotuses. Devotees lit 108 earthen lamps that formed ‘Om’. Gaurav, a software engineer in Pune visiting his home town for Durga puja, was overjoyed as he could light one of the lamps with his mother.
Bengali Club also saw a large number of devotees on its premises. Arun Kumar Banerjee, the president of the club, said, “The rituals of Sandhi Puja are deeply rooted in Hindu traditions and performed with reverence and devotion.” At Ramakrishna Math, it was held between 11:43 am and 12:31 pm as it follows a different panchang.
Kumari Puja at Math
During Kumari Puja, Goddess Durga was invoked in a girl child and worshipped by sanyasis of the Ramakrishna order. A six-year-old, Somisha Mukherjee was chosen for the riutal after a rigorous drill. Swami Muktinathananda, the ‘adhyaksha’ of Ramakrishna Math, said, “The ritual symbolises the special presence of the ‘divine mother’ within every woman. The event drew a lot of devotees who came from far and near to be a part of this ritual. Though this initiative, we try to pass on the larger message to maintain women’s dignity and pride.”
“Shortlisting a little girl for the occasion is a difficult task as several devotees aspire to see their daughter being worshipped as the deity. Before selecting a girl, we ask the candidates to sit quietly for as long as they can,” he explained.
