The pandal at JPR Road in Jorhat. Telegraph picture

Jorhat, Sept. 28: A confluence of cultures and back to the villages dominate the themes in the main Durga Puja mandaps (pandals) here this year.

The Jorhat Railway Station Puja mandap has been constructed in the likeness of the Pashupatinath temple of Nepal.

The idol of Goddess Durga and her children have been made of shells from the Puri beach in Odisha. Surrounding the mandap will be banners and posters depicting the precarious condition of the river island of Majuli, being gobbled up by the Brahmaputra and uncertain existence of its people.

Gitanjan Ganguly, member of the Puja committee, said the annual magazine, Agomani, brought out on the occasion would also be focussed on Majuli, its neo-Vaishnavite culture, its problems, heritage value of the monasteries established during the 16th and 17th centuries and the beauty of landscape.

“Although the island is the seat of Vaishnavite culture and does not celebrate Durga Puja, it is very much a part of the culture of Assam and needs to be preserved. With this in mind we are focussing on the island which is being eroded away,” he said.

The Rupahi Ali puja mandap will resemble a fort of Gujarat and a temple of Rajasthan and have all the trappings of a Bengali puja mandap as well.

Ashok Gattani, president of the committee, said it would be a confluence of all three cultures. The JPR Junction Puja has reached out further West to construct a castle of Disneyland.

“We believe that Durga Puja is a time for maximum enjoyment of children. Goddess Durga too comes home with her children in tow. In consonance we will dress up two people to resemble Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck who will distribute toffees to the children outside. What can be a better symbol of children’s fun and frolic than Disneyland?” asked Sandeep Nandi, member of the organising committee.

In the Marwari Thakurbari puja, the goddess with her children Ganesh, Kartik, Saraswati and Lakshmi will be riding atop bullock carts towards an idyllic village complete with huts, ponds and trees.

Jai Prakash Dhanoa, whose concept this is, explained that the tableau symbolises the need for us to go back to our rural base.

This is in complete contrast to last year’s theme of the idol sitting atop the replica of the Agni missile with a fire burning underneath.

Jorhat will have a total of 78 Pujas out of which the one at Anand Nagar in Seuni village is being organised for the first time.