Navratri special | Puja pandals in Lucknow ready to welcome Maa Durga

The puja pandals in Lucknow are all set to welcome Maa Durga starting this Wednesday. Celebrations have already kicked off, and stunning pandals are being set up for the celebrations. Take a look!
The special attraction at Ramakrishna Math, Nirala Nagar will be the Kumari Puja i.e., in which the deity will be invoked in six year old girl who will be worshipped as Devi Durga. It will be held on Ashtami day at 9:30 am that falls on Friday, October 11. Swami Muktinathananda, Adhyaksha of Ramakrishna Math said, “It symbolises the special presence of the Divine Mother within every woman and aims to infuse a sense of respect and dignity to be accorded to the entire womanhood.” The climax of the Durga puja celebration, however, is the Sandhi Puja. It comprises the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami tithi.
The 110-year-old Durga puja celebrations at the Bengali Club are a must-see. It is the city’s first and oldest Sarwajanik Durga Puja, started by Atul Krishna Sinha who moved to the city in 1901. In 1914 he started Durga Puja at Bengali Club, says club’s president Arun Kumar Banerjee. In the lead-up to Durga puja, the Ladies’ wing organised Ananda Mela, inaugurated by principal secretary Leena Johri. The special attraction at Bengali Club this year will be Sandhi puja on Friday morning (October 11), on Maha Ashtami.  
The two-decade-old puja at Jankipuram will feature a replica of the Shri Ram Temple from Ayodhya. A life-sized idol of Ram Lalla will also be placed along with the idol of Maa Durga. Dhakhis (traditional drummers) from Bengal will perform, and a series of cultural programmes will also be showcased throughout the festivities.
“The artists from Kolkata have spared no effort in capturing the grandeur of the original, and devotees are in for a truly divine experience at the pandal this year,” said Ram Avatar Pandey, president of Sadbhavna Sanskritik Samiti.
At the Model House Park, an idol of Goddess Durga, carved in the monolithic style reminiscent of Ajanta sculptures, will be worshipped. The exterior of the pandal is inspired by the grandeur of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The Mitro Sangho Puja committee is marking its 50th year of celebrations this year.  The 15-feet tall idol is made by artistes from Bengal. The structure will be 70-feet tall.
The Latouche Road Puja Sangsad Society has themed their pandal on Ram Leela. SK Banerjee, the president of the society, informed that the entire pandal will be transformed into a grand pictorial representation from the Ramayana.
The interiors of the pandal are designed with 20-foot-tall replicas of heritage buildings and arched gates, resembling those in Ayodhya. The idols will also be adorned in traditional Ram Leela attire and ornaments. Additionally, live performances will be held to enhance the festive atmosphere.
Renowned sculptor Abhijeet Biswas has crafted the Ma Durga idol in the traditional “Aadi Bangla” style in Varanasi, with final touches applied in Lucknow. “In line with tradition, five kinds of clays — Ganga, Shamshan, Tulsi, Goshalar and Devimandir mati — have been used in creating the protima of Maa Durga. The celebrations started with Anando Mela at the puja pandal today,” informed its communication secretary Tuhin Banerjee.