The Nripendra Narayan Bengali Hindu Hall (NNBH) Durga Puja Committee at Chandmari in Darjeeling has reserved a Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) toy train to carry the idols from the hill town to a stream for immersion on Vijaya Dashami.
“From the NNBH hall, our members will carry the idols on their shoulders to the marketplace. There will be a brief halt, and from there, those will be carried to the Darjeeling railway station. There, the idols will be placed on an open trolley of the DHR while the members will board two coaches,” said Pratapaditya Guha, the NNBH secretary.
From the station, the reserved train will leave for Banglakhola, a stream around 15km from Darjeeling. There, the idols would be immersed with the necessary rituals.
“It has been over 10 years since we organised the immersion in a toy train. We had done it on the centenary year of our puja,” Guha added.
This year, the NNBH is hosting its 111th Durga Puja.
Organisers said that while the male members would carry the idols on their shoulders, the women in traditional attire — white saris with red borders — would lead the procession to the station with a team of women dhakis (drummers) from Kakdwip.
“The team of dhakis will also perform during the Puja days. We will also host cultural events for our members to participate,” said a member, elaborating about the celebrations of one of the oldest Durga Pujas of the Darjeeling district.
The organisers believe their bishorjon (immersion) procession will draw hundreds of people, including tourists.
In 1890, a five-member trust board was formed to build the NNBH hall. On January 14, 1891, land was allotted for the hall by the Darjeeling Municipality, and Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, the then king of Cooch Behar, donated what was then a princely sum — ₹1,000.
Subsequently, ₹40,000 was collected to build the hall. However, on April 29, 1906, the hall was damaged in a blaze. It was rebuilt by 1908.
At the Puja, the idols have always been resplendent in a traditional look, complete with daaker saaj.
“On Ashtami, many tourists in Darjeeling come to the Puja to offer anjali. We have maintained the traditional look of the idols for decades. This year, it won’t be different,” said Guha.
Officials of the DHR confirmed that they would provide the train to the Puja organisers for immersion. “The organisers had contacted us, and we have confirmed the reservation.
A reserved train with an open trolley and two coaches will be placed at the Darjeeling station,” said an official.