After celebrating her stay with immense glory and honour for last four days, the devotees in Tripura finally bade farewell to Ma Durga on Friday.
With a desire to host her again next year, Bengalis across the state immersed the idols of Goddess Durga with heavy heart. Long processions with drums and trumpets are taken out through and finally reached various banks of rivers or water bodies where the idols are immersed.
Many came along with their family members to the bank of river Howra to bid goodbye to the goddess Durga and her family.
People said the puja was excellent though there was little rain but today it is painful as Maa Durga is returning back to Kailash and hoped that the coming year the puja will take place again and it will be better.
Immersion though stated in the afternoon but will continue till late night as a maximum of the immersion except for few big budget community and club puja’s immersion shall take place on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police West Tripura district Ajit Pratap Singh said, “Overall the puja this year was totally incident free and all immersion will have to be completed by two to three days.”
He added that adequate security measures have been taken even for the immersion of the idols at Dasamighat where lighting facilities, CC camera, crane facility beside NDRF and Agartala Municipal Corporation workers are there to help in the immersions.
Pulak Chakraborty, a devotee said, “Today we are feeling very bad as after four days puja we are having this bisharjan (immersion). Last four days we had enjoyed a lot and today when we bid farewell to the Mother Durga we really are sad. The only hope that we have is next year Maa Durga is again coming and we are there to celebrate her coming once more.”
The immersion ceremony symbolizes the end of the goddess’s annual sojourn to her paternal home and she returns to her husband Lord Shiva at their heavenly abode in Mount Kailash.
Meantime, another devotee Keya Sarma Roy said, “We pray to the Maa Durga that the coming year is very good and prosperous for everyone and hope that we can worship her in the coming year and she keeps everyone happy.”
Elaborate security arrangements by city police as well as civic authorities were in place on various ghats of the river to ensure that the immersion of the idols passed peacefully.
This year the Agartala Municipal Corporation has made special arrangement for the immersion by deploying its volunteers for the purpose to reduce the risk of accidents and water pollution of the river.
Immediately after the immersion the idols are being removed from the water to reduce pollution and for which dedicated team has been deployed.
After the immersion ceremony is over, people start wishing each other ‘Shubho Bijoya’, a custom followed by the Bengalis all over the world.