The city of Kashi is filled with temples, big and small, old and new. There are temples at every corner, and you never know where you will stumble upon a small shrine. There are idols beneath what remains of trees (there are hardly any trees any more within the core area of the city), there are saffron covered forms resembling deities which seem attached to walls, an especially incongruous sight when the idol itself appears to be old, while the wall is evidently new…. And there are surprisingly large temples rising from what appear to be a bunch of houses. The city is sometimes colloquially said to be as old as time, and some of the shrines and temples are said to date back to times unknown, at least the deity itself, if not the structure. Not much remains of the ancient structures anyway. The city has seen more than its fair share of good and bad times. It has seen the heights of grandeur, and the lows brought about by destruction. The city that exists today has grown so haphaza...
Eight days have gone by, and Navaratri is almost over. It's unbelievable how fast time flies, especially during festivals like this. The last few days have been so busy that I haven't been able to write, but I have more to write before I call an end to my Navaratri posts. Today, let me give you a glimpse of our Chembur Durga Puja.....
This is how we are greeted at the entrance, the dancing lights stopping us on the road, for a second glance!
This is no replica, but a temple made from the imagination of the artists.....
Inside, everything is eco-friendly... All the items used are bio-degradeable.... Take a look at what lovely decorations have been made with coir, reeds, shola wood, and similar items....
On the ceiling is a piece de resistance - a chandelier, made of Shola wood, lighting up the decorations...
And here is what we are here for..... the tableau of deities....
As I stand before them, hands folded in prayer, Samhith's attention is drawn elsewhere - to the stalls outside, selling food. Of course, what he really wants is Rasgolla! We had planned to be here early, in time for the Bhog, but, we are too late. We have to settle for the stalls just beginning their sales, and he pulls me out of the pandal, intent on satisfying his stomach, rather than my spiritual satisfaction, but I give in, for this is what brings him here with me, year after year, for now!
Beautiful decorations. Oh that means there is a large Bengali population in Chembur.
ReplyDeleteYes, PNS. there is a sizeable Bengali population in and around Chembur. And they arrange for some really beautiful decorations each year!
DeleteVery creative! And sensitive to create an ecofriendly pandal. Where is this? Chedda Nagar?
ReplyDeleteNo, Bindhu, this is near the Chembur Naka...on the ground near the municipal school
DeleteVery nice being in Chembur never visited this place
ReplyDeleteThank you Anuradha Ji for creating such beautiful post on this magnificent puja mandap. I'd like to add one thing which you may not know that the LED lighting is based on a beautiful childhood Bengali poem "Palkir Gaan".
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