Idol immersions mark end of Durga Puja celebrations

Ranchi/Dhanbad/Jamshedpur: Durga Puja celebrations across Jharkhand ended on Wednesday with idol immersions, dhak beats, chants and emotional farewells to Goddess Durga. In Ranchi, processions moved through neighbourhoods amid dancing devotees, flower showers and cries of “Jai Maa Durga” and “Asche bochhor abar hobe”.

Families and friends gathered for a final darshan, while women offered prayers for their families.“We wait an entire year for these days. Watching Maa leave is emotional, but we are already looking forward to welcoming her again next year,” said Deepti Das, a resident of Upper Bazaar.“The city has a different energy during Puja.

The streets, the lights and the crowds become part of our memories. The farewell always feels too soon,” said Nisha Devi, who accompanied an immersion procession at Dhurwa Dam.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation earmarked 18 ponds and arranged artificial immersion tanks. Civic teams were deployed to maintain cleanliness and clear idol remains.

Ravan Dahan was held at Morabadi, Argora and Dhurwa-Jagannathpur. In Dhanbad, Hari Mandir witnessed a traditional Bengali farewell on Vijayadashami with ‘Sindoor Khela’.

Women in red-bordered sarees offered sindoor at the goddess’s feet, prayed for peace, prosperity, family well-being and marital bliss, and applied vermilion to one another. Malay Chatterjee, a priest at Hari Mandir, said Goddess Durga returns to Mount Kailash after visiting her parental home during the festival.

Ponita Ghosh of Hirapur said Sindoor Khela was an important tradition to bid farewell to the goddess and pray for happiness and prosperity. Hari Mandir is known for Bengali customs associated with Kolkata’s Durga Puja.

In Jamshedpur, around 350 puja committees immersed idols at ghats along the Domuhani, Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers. Married women performed Sindoor Khela at pandals before immersion, offering sweets and applying vermilion to the goddess and one another.“As day one of Navratri fills us with joy and enthusiasm on the arrival of Goddess Durga, Vijayadashami is the day that saddens us bit, for next one year we will have to wait to bring Goddess Durga to our pandals,” said Shanti Nandi at Rankini temple durga puja pandal in Kadma.

More than 2,000 security personnel were deployed in Jamshedpur under 215 magistrates and 36 zonal magistrates. RAF, RAP, Jharkhand Jaguar, QRTs and NDRF personnel were also deployed.

DC Rajiv Ranjan and SSP Ehtesham Waquarib monitored the processions. No untoward incident was reported.

Stay updated with the latest Ranchi news.

Key quotes

• “Asche bochhor abar hobe”

• “We wait an entire year for these days. Watching Maa leave is emotional, but we are already looking forward to welcoming her again next year,”

• “The city has a different energy during Puja. The streets, the lights and the crowds become part of our memories. The farewell always feels too soon,”

• “As day one of Navratri fills us with joy and enthusiasm on the arrival of Goddess Durga, Vijayadashami is the day that saddens us bit, for next one year we will have to wait to bring Goddess Durga to our pandals,”