Kolkata: The Jagadhatri Puja carnival in Chandannagar will be held on the day of Ekadashi instead of Dashami as Sasthi and Saptami coincide on the same day.
Like Durga Puja, Jagaddhatri puja in Chandannagar is held for four days.
The Puja organisers have decided that the carnival followed by immersion will be held on Ekadashi instead of Dashami. There will be around 170 Pujas in Chandannagar and Bhardeswar. As many as 70 Puja committees will take part in the carnival.
The decision was taken so that Puja revellers could get four days to enjoy the traditional Jagadhatri Puja after Sasthi and Saptami fell on the same day.
On the fourth day of Jagadhhatri Puja, colourful processions are taken out. There has been an old tradition of conducting a carnival on the day of Dashami in Chandannagar.
The Puja at Chandannagar, which was once a French colony, is known for drawing thousands of visitors for the use of decorative lights.
The decorations using lights at the pandals had received global recognition. In India, for major religious or social functions decorative lights from Chandannagar are used. Jagadhhatri Puja is the biggest festival in Chandannagar.
‘Chandannagar Shree’ Award has been launched to encourage organisers of Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar attracts lakhs of visitors every year. Jagadhatri Puja committees of Chandanagore are given the ‘Jagaddhatri Shree Puja Sammana’.
Incidentally, the Puja pandal of Kashi Bose Lane in north Kolkata that highlighted the issue of women trafficking through its theme ‘Chai Na Hote Uma’ (Don’t want to be Uma) will be kept on display at a Jagadhatri Puja in Chandannagar. Tridhara Akalbodhan which enchanted visitors with their theme “Utsab Jader Tore Aage Tara Prize Pore” (Durgotsav is first about people and then prizes) will transport its pandal to Chandannagar where it will be installed during Jagadhatri Puja.
Mudiali Club, in South Kolkata, which depicted the assembly of people from all walks of life during puja through its theme ‘Samahare Samaroho’ will also see its pandal being transported to Chandannagar for the same.