Cutouts of election ticket-seekers at a pandal,Pictures by Deepak Kumar and Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Oct. 14: Creativity met spirituality at the Puja pandals in the capital.

As Puja revellers stepped out to participate in celebrations across the capital, they were greeted by huge pandals and elaborate decorations all along the way.

Unique idols, made of edibles, mostly dry fruits, and copper wires attracted the visitors in loads. The fancy lighting and beat of dhaaks (traditional drums) pumped up the spirit of Durga Puja in the city.

As the 10-day Dussehra entered Saptami today, people thronged pandals and temples to worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga and seek her blessings for all-round prosperity and peace.

Durga Puja in city is celebrated with traditional fervour and enthusiasm.

This year, idol-makers have presented some finest examples of craftsmanship. Idols have been decorated with raisins (kishmish), copper wire and bindi. Two students of fine arts, Jitendra and Chandan, literally burnt midnight oil to craft the six-foot-tall raisin idol at Amrudhi Galli Mohalla.

“One idol of Durga requires around 8kg of raisins,” said the two students who had last year prepared the idol with the gajar ka halwa, ice cream stick and moonga stone. The two artists have also given shape to another idol made of copper wire. “Nearly 10kgs of copper wire were used to decorate the idol. Once it was complete, the idol looked so spectacular that we could not take our eyes off it,” said Chandan.

Jitendra and Chandan used over a lakh bindis to prepare the five-foot-tall idol of the Goddess put up at a pandal in Amrudhi Galli Mohalla.

Among the puja pandals, the most talked about are the replicas of Delhi’s Akshardham temple, Jain temple of Jodhpur and Jaipur museum. The magnificent pandals have also added charm to the festive mood. Pandal at Khajpura is a replica of the Akshardham Temple. Different shades of fabric and thermocol have been used to set up this 70-ft pandal.

Talking to The Telegraph, oganiser of Navyuvak Sangh Durga Puja Samiti Arjun Kumar in West Lohanipur said: “The competition is tough and every puja samiti is trying to outdo others to acquire the unique status. The cost involved in setting up a pandal is huge.”

Replica of Jain temple of Jodhpur, built with bamboo, beet, thermocol and ply, has been erected at a prime location in Boring Road.

A cave-shaped entry welcomed visitors to a pandal at Raza Bazar.

Artists used expensive textiles, thermocol and other related material to give proper shape to the cave entry.

Another spectacular piece of architecture from Rajasthan, the Jaipur Museum, was seen in the Sheikhpura area in the capital. The model’s beauty was enhanced with fancy lights and decoration. Several families are also organising private puja at their homes. Kalash sthapan was done on Day 1 and chanting of Durga prayers will continue till Dashami, the tenth day.

A long queue of devotees was also seen at prominent temples of the city. Massive crowds were seen outside Shitala Mata Mandir at Agamkuan, Bari Patan Devi and Choti Patan Devi in Patna City, Kali temple at Darbhanga House and Bans Ghat, Hanuman Mandir near Patna Junction, Gardanibagh Thakurbari, Durga temple at Kadamkuan and Panchmukhi Mandir at Saristabad.