Grand welcome arches for Ganesh puja in Cuttack

CUTTACK: Puja committees in Millennium city are famous for celebrating Dusshera with grand welcome arches but the lavishness has now trickled down to Ganesh Puja also. Over a dozen puja committees in the city have erected life size welcome arches by spending lakhs of rupees to attract revelers to the their pandals.
While Jay Durga club at Press colony has erected a replica of Jaipur palace, which is 50 feet high, as their welcome arch.Atleast 18 workers labored hard for 20 days to erect the palace's replica with bamboo and cloth. "Our main focus was to create an eye catching and attractive pandal. The artisans have done a good work and erected a magnificent welcome arch," said Munna Das, member of the club. Similarly, a club at Nuapada has prepared its pandal in replica of Amritsar's Golden temple. The pandal is 65 feet tall and it is a visual treat for eyes. "The pandal is very beautiful. The makers have taken care of every minor detailing," said Snigdha Das, a reveler.
Similarly, the Dibyajyoti club has chosen the theme of Jodhpur palace to decorate it's pandal while Biswaroop club has opted for Rajasthan palace's theme. Dreams club at Nuapada has erected replica in shape of Tajmahal to give uniqueness to its pandal. But the Royal club has erected its pandal in shape of Odisha's Jeypore palace to highlight the rich culture and heritage of our state. The budget of these puja committees ranges from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and a lion share of the amount have been spent in erecting these beautiful pandals and welcome arches. While Jagruti club of Chauliaganj area have erected a 30 feet high idol of Lord Ganesh at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh. "Our club is famous for its exclusivity. Every year we try to offer something new to the devotees thronging to our pandal. This year our idol is replica of Mumbai's famous Lalbag ka Raja," said Jagannath, a member of the club.
However, the rain has proved dampener for the puja committees. "Since morning it's raining heavily and very few devotees have visited our pandal. It seems all our hard work has been wasted," said Dhiren Sahoo, member of a puja committee. "Hope, the weather improves on Tuesday and revelers visit our pandal and appreciate our idea," said Manas Sahoo, member of Dibyajyoti club.