Festive Mood in Rajshahi Around a 45-Foot Durga and an Idol Made of 10,000 Chocolates

At this year's Durga Puja in Rajshahi, two exceptional idols have caught the attention of visitors - the Tiger Sangha's 45-foot-tall Durga idol, and a unique idol in Taherpur made from 10,000 coin chocolates. Both arrangements have sparked wide discussion on social media, and crowds of curious people have increased at the pandals.

Rajshahi city's Tiger Sangha has built a 45-foot-tall Durga idol in their 45th year. While the other idols have been kept at normal size, speciality has been brought to the Durga idol placed on top of the pandal. This unusual arrangement has generated a huge response on social media, creating extra interest among visitors to see the idol.

Tiger Sangha general secretary Partha Pal Chowdhury said Rajshahi is a city of harmony. Here, people of all religions give equal dignity to their respective faiths. He also mentioned that in the past, no unpleasant incident has occurred surrounding the religious festival of any community.

Meanwhile, at the traditional Sri Sri Ganga Mata Temple in Taherpur, Bagmara upazila, a completely unique idol has been made, using 10,000 golden coin chocolates. As pictures and videos of this idol, made with a flawless coating of golden coin chocolates, spread on social media, curious people began arriving all over the pandal.

The idol was prepared under the overall arrangement of the local social organisation Nabajagaran Sangha. The organisers said they try every year to gift something new to the visitors at the puja. In continuation of that, this year they planned to make a varied idol out of chocolate. It has been learned that around 80,000 taka was spent on making the idol.

The chief artisan of this chocolate idol is Natore's renowned idol-maker Nil Kumar Das. With extremely skilled hands, he has beautifully given a unique form to Mother Durga and her children using 10,000 coin chocolates. Through this union of creativity and religious solemnity, this puja pandal of Taherpur has become one of the main attractions of the entire Rajshahi region.

Shiben Halder, president of the Taherpur Sri Sri Ganga Mata Temple Committee, and general secretary Dijen Halder expressed satisfaction with the festive atmosphere and overall management. They said this year's chocolate idol has multiplied the joy of the puja in the area many times over. All kinds of arrangements have been made by the committee so that visitors can enjoy the puja in safety and comfort.

This year Goddess Durga's arrival is on an elephant and her departure by boat. The pandals of Rajshahi have become vibrant with the blowing of conch shells, the beating of dhak drums and cymbals, and the worship rituals of the priests. This festive atmosphere has spread from the city to the upazilas.

Ashok Kumar Saha, general secretary of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Front, expressed satisfaction with the overall security arrangements for the puja. He said it is hoped that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will come to visit the Rajshahi Dharmasabha at any time on the day of Navami. This year the highest amount of government grant has been given to the puja pandals, and priests are receiving regular monthly allowances. On behalf of the organisers, he gave special thanks to the Prime Minister for this humanitarian assistance.

This year Durga Puja is being held at 85 pandals in Rajshahi metropolis and at 381 pandals in the district's eight upazilas. In all, puja has been arranged at 466 pandals in Rajshahi district this year. Among the upazilas, Bagmara has the highest number, with 86 pandals. Besides, puja has been arranged at 59 pandals each in Tanore and Bagha, 56 in Puthia, 42 each in Godagari and Charghat, 24 in Mohanpur and 23 in Durgapur.

Amid so many pandals, Tiger Sangha's towering idol and Taherpur's chocolate idol are this year's two most talked-about attractions of the Rajshahi puja. Seeing the pictures and videos spread on social media, people are coming from far and wide to see the two idols, and that has made the festive mood come alive.