Gaya/Motihari, Oct. 3: The Shree Durga Puja Samiti at Hate Godown, Tekari Road, has completed 120 years this Durga Puja.

The idol of Goddess Durga was installed in 1892 at the Hate Godown campus, which is probably one of the oldest Puja samitis in Gaya.

The Durga Bari Puja Samiti is another old puja samiti of Gaya that celebrates the festival with traditional fervour. “The idol of Goddess Durga was installed at the Durga Bari in 1920 but the samiti came into effect in 1947,” Manas Kumar Roy, the former secretary of the samiti, told The Telegraph.

This year, artists from Koderma in Jharkhand have arrived in Gaya to decorate the Puja pandals. The samitis at Gol Bagicha, Kedarnath market, Pandarima, Shahmir Takya, Gaya station and Tekari Road have opened the pandals for the people to have a look of the Goddess.

Like every year, a chanting of Ramayana by 108 priests was being done at Dhami Tola under the banner of Shree Ramcharit Manas Navah Parayan Yagna Samiti on the initiative of businessman and social activist Shivram Dalmia. Besides, Ramlila is also being organised at Azad Park by the Shree Adarsh Ramlila Samiti.

The administration and police have made elaborate security arrangements to avert any untoward incident. All police stations have been asked to keep a close watch on troublemakers during the celebrations in sensitive areas. Entry of four-wheelers and other heavy vehicles have been banned in the main market area from 6pm to 10pm.

Centenary year

Bhawani Mandap, (a Bengali institute) in Motihari, which is celebrating the centenary year of its Durga Puja, has become the centre of added attraction for the people on the occasion of Navratra. People have been flocking the mandap for chants during the Puja.

On the eve of the centenary Puja celebrations, President Pratibha Patil and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee have sent their wishes with a message for peace and harmony in the society and triumph of righteousness over evil.