Durga Puja 2019: Cuttack Puja Pandals Replicate Ranganathswamy Temple, Statue of Liberty

In a Durga Puja pandal in Odisha’s Cuttack, giant welcome gates - replicating the famous Ranganathswamy Temple of Tamil Nadu and the Statue of Liberty in New York — have been erected.

To lure pandal hoppers and welcome a huge footfall, the Khannagar Durga Puja committee has made a replica of the Ranganathswamy Temple. The pandal is about 55 feet high and is the replica of the temple adorning several deities on the structure.

“To give the pandal a colourful look, we have erected the replica of the beautiful Ranganathswamy Temple of Tamil Nadu,” Times of India quoted secretary of the puja committee, Prafulla Sahoo, as saying.

Sahoo added. “The colours will attract visitors. Such a replica has never been done in Cuttack during Dussehra before. It will be a treat to the eyes.”

The artistic pandal is being made by around 25 artisans from West Bengal's Midnapore who have worked several hours for the past one month to finish it. The pandal has been made of bamboo, clothes, and thermocol. Sahoo said that Rs. 5 lakh has been spent on the making of the pandal.

To make the pandal look as real as the original temple, artisans have minutely worked on the details. Artist Subhol Mandal, who is giving the finishing touches to the gate, told the daily that they have they took the maximum time to cut the thermocol with sharp knives, and then colours were added.

The original temple, where Lord Vishnu is worshipped, has a Dravidian architecture. It’s the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

People of Odisha will also get to witness a replica of Statue of Liberty. The Malgodown Durga Puja Committee pandal theme this year is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Statue of Liberty of New York. It has been made with ply, bamboo and fibre.

“We have tried to put an accurate replica of the statue as its world famous. We have planned to place it in our puja pandal to attract more visitors,” TOI quoted Sayed Nizamuddin Ahmed, secretary of the puja committee, as saying.

Proper illumination has been given to make it the pandal look as real as the actual statue, he added.