Today is Maha Navami, the third day of Durga Puja.
Every year on Maha Navami after the puja, buffalo calf sacrifice at Agartala Durgabari takes place as traditional ritual.
But this year, Tripura High Court banned animal sacrifices during the puja in all the temples of Tripura.
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Due to that animal sacrifice has been stopped at Durgabari.
For the first time in Tripura, Durga puja is being celebrated without any blood-shed across the temples in the State.
At Tripureswari temple of Udaipur since Maha-Astami of this year the traditional animal sacrifice system was withdrawn as Tripura High Court’s order was implemented.
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West district magistrate Sadeep Mahatme, however, imposed the order of High Court immediately after the judgment was passed and thus no buffalo sacrifice was observed in Tripura’s ancient Durgabari temple too.
Every year after Navami Puja, buffalo calf sacrifice takes place at Durgabari and every day during the Durga puja animals had been sacrificed.
Also read: Tripura HC bans animal sacrifice in state
But this year, all kinds of animal sacrifice have been stopped after the High Court order.
Many people are welcoming the decision of High Court.
They don’t want any kind of sacrifice in the temples.
One housewife Kabita Bhattacharjee said, “If we all are children of Devi Durga than how can mothers want the blood of her own child.”
“Mother doesn’t want sacrifice of her child,” she added.
“The custom made by us and those customs are against humanity that should be erased,” she further added.
But still some devotees want animal sacrifice should be brought back.
Jayanta Bhattacharjee, the present priest of Agartala Durga Bari said, “There was no animal sacrifice during Durga Puja in the famous Durga Bari temple for the first time in 525 years as the Tripura High Court has banned the centuries-old tradition of animal sacrifice in religious places.”
He said, Durgabari puja is basically Tripura’s royal family’s puja.
After the merger of Tripura with India, the government has been sponsoring the Puja in the Durga Bari temple for the last 70 years.
Now the government and royal family will decide what they will do after the High Court order, said Jayanta Bhattacharjee.
“For the first time in 525 years, there would be absolutely no sacrifice of animals during the five-day ‘Durga Puja’. We would abide by the order of the Tripura High Court,” said Jayanta Bhattacharjee.
But from the morning, thousands of devotees gathered at Durgabari.
They offering ‘anjali’ to devi durga and took prasad.
Basically Navami is the last day of Durga Puja.
Tripura’s every corner is celebrating joyously this Durga Puja on Maha-Navami.