Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Devotees may see the replicas of Ram Mandir of Ayodhya, Mahalaxmi temple of Kolhapur, Maharashtra and Kashi Vishwanath temple of Varanasi in the city during this Navratri.
The replicas of these temples, made by artists from Kolkata, will be the major attractions. Vyapari Utsav Samiti, New Market, has built a huge replica of the Ram Mandir on a 24,000 square feet area at Roshanpura Square.
A tableau of Lord Ram coronation and a proposed idol of Ram Mandir and around 13 feet idol of Goddess Durga have been installed in the Durga Pandal. The total expenditure of the pandal is around Rs 45 lakh.
Coordinator of the Samiti, Ajay Agrawal said that around 20 artists from Kolkata built the eco-friendly pandal using bamboo, cotton clothes, ply boards and MDF board cutting in two months.
‘Sthapana Puja’ will be held at 7pm on Sunday and after that it is open for the devotees. Aarti will be performed at 7.30pm daily for nine-days. Passes are also available for darshan,” Agrawal said, adding that “CCTV cameras and around 25 security guards have also been deployed”.
Durga Utsav Samiti, Bittan Market, has built the replica of Mahalaxmi temple of Kolhapur, on a 40,000 square feet area at Dushera Maidan. The Durga Pandal took 150 workers from Kolkata and three months to complete at a total cost of around Rs 65 lakh.
A 13-foot idol of the Goddess will also be installed. Sunil Pandey, treasurer of the Samiti, said around 15 lakh devotees are expected to visit the pandal. It is open for them from 5pm. VIP passes are also available.
“From an environmental point of view, our committee has been immersing only the idol of Sthapana for the last 5 years, which is 3 feet, whereas the big idols will be returned to the sculptor. The same will happen this year too,” Pandey said.
Durga Utsav Samiti, Vijay Market, Barkheda, has built the replica of Kashi Vishwanath temple, spread over an area of 65,000 square feet. The devotees will be able to have a darshan of Lord Shiva as well as 13-foot idols of Goddess Durga.
The total cost of the pandal is around 25 lakh. “Around 28 workers from West Bengal made it under the guidance of artist Kartik Dada in around two months,” said Ram Babu, president of the Samiti.
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