Guwahati, Oct 13: Glass-made idols, Durga emerging out of a blooming lotus and a 22-feet Mahishasura – puja committees are trying every means to score over their rivals as the festival fever gripped Assam, leaving behind the spectre of insurgency and an acute financial crisis. In Guwahati alone, the 300-odd Puja pandals were vying with each other to attract visitors with an estimated expenditure of Rs 10 crore. They were expecting a large turnout today, the Maha Ashtami day, the organisers said.
Some techno-savvy organisers have used mechanised idols to recreate certain scenes. At one place the Devi was seen emerging from a huge blooming lotus in the middle of a pond, the Asura erupting from a volcano and even images made of glass.
A puja mandap here even has a horse-riding Devi ripping apart Mahisasura's belly from where emerges yet another demon.
A 22-feet Mahisasura bore the brunt of the Devi's fury at one venue.
Curious visitors also thronged one venue where Prajapati Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Viswa Vidyalaya members stood motionless dressed as Durga, her progenies and Mahisasura.
In a community pandal, the organisers have gone for a rongghar-like structure resembling a structure of the Ahom kingdom.
In several places, giant illuminated gateways were seen, a new feature in the last couple of years. The illumination featured events like world cup football, the World Trade Centre attack and the Rajdhani Express disaster, besides all time cartoon favourites. Bureau Report