Bhubaneswar, Sept. 18: Silver filigree worth Rs 2 crore will adorn the backdrop of a pandal here this Durga Puja.
The city will wear silver in all its splendour replicating a tradition that its twin, Cuttack, has popularised. Two of the city's pandals are being decked up with silver filigree - locally known as chandi medha.
The Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Committee is using a whopping 2.5 quintals of silver to create the backdrop, work on which is already under way.
Twenty-five artisans from a renowned Bhubaneswar jewellery brand are working night and day on the 20ft-high and 18ft-wide backdrop. The committee used to hire artisans from Cuttack to prepare zari medha backdrops for the idol till last year. Only the crown of the Durga idol was made of silver.
"We wanted to do something different to commemorate the 50th year of Durga Puja celebrations here. So, we thought of giving residents of the capital a taste of the chandi medha traditions," said Puja committee secretary Narayan Mohapatra.
The artisans have created an intricate design using 30 large peacock figures and other floral styles to adorn the backdrop. It will also include meenakari in some portions.
"The work on the backdrop will be completed by the first week of October. We have made special security arrangements for it. We are in the process of installing 16 CCTV cameras in various parts of the pandal and have requested the police to deploy 20 personnel during the festive period," Mohapatra added.
Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee
Around 40 artisans from Calcutta have been employed to build the pandal, which will be a replica of Delhi's Swaminarayan Temple. The structure will be 70ft high and 120ft wide.
The backdrop alone will cost the Puja committee around Rs 2 crore in today's market value. A Puja committee member, requesting anonymity, said that various business houses, bureaucrats and local residents chipped in with the funds to sponsor the silver filigree backdrop. People have also donated raw silver, which was melted and made into filigree work by artisans. The Rs 2-crore backdrop will be reused in subsequent Durga Puja pandals of the committee.
The Puja committee has also decided to deploy around 100 youth volunteers to assist the visitors. It will also conduct a number of devotional and cultural events during the festival.
The Sarbajanina Durga Puja Samiti at Old Station Bazaar, which is celebrating its 61st anniversary, is adding more silver and gold to the backdrop for its idol this year.
They were the first Puja committee to introduce the chandi medha tradition in the capital a few years ago.
"We are adding eight more kilograms of silver this year and about 750 grams of gold, which will be an added attraction. We are also repairing some portions of the backdrop that had been broken," said Puja committee secretary Deepak Jena.
This apart, the pandal gate would be a replica of the palace shown in the Tamil blockbuster Bahubali, while scenes from the film will be recreated inside the pandal.
The committee has roped in Subhash Jena, a set designer in the Odia film industry, to design the pandal. He said: "We will recreate scenes like Bahubali carrying the Shiva Linga or replica of the goddess worshipped by the warriors before going to war. The film was very popular and we are hopeful the pandal will give the visitors a reminder of its classic moments."
Cuttack-based artist Rajendra Muduli is making the idol for the Puja committee this year.
