Durga Puja attraction - idol decked in 5-Kg gold ornaments and valued at Rs 2 crores

Gone are the days of pandal created to house the idols of Goddess Durga and her children. The olden day concept has been replaced by theme pujas and organizers break their heads searching for themes that have never been done earlier. The bottom line is to attract people to their pandals and garner footsteps in order to not just prove their existence but, also, their clout.
One of the star attractions this year in Kolkata would, undoubtedly, be a Durga idol decked in decked in 5-Kg gold ornaments and valued at Rs 2 crores.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 5 October 2016.

Durga’s crown for this idol is about 2ft high and those of the others in her retinue about 1.5ft. The idol is housed in a 100ft high replica of the Jagannath temple in Puri. In order to ensure utmost security, the organizers have installed 20 CCTV cameras and deployed over 200 private security guards. In addition, confectioners have been brought from Puri to make the famous khaja to distribute among devotees from Saptami to Dashami. Flags from the Puri temple have also been procured - these will be hoisted on top of the pandal.
Another idol has gold dusted on the idol that is carved out of a sandstone slab weighing 4.5 tonne. There is also a 13 inch gold crown in meenakari work with precious stones encrusting it for the Goddess. The 35ft pandal and decor are made of elaborate sirish wood carvings and visitors are being monitored on 16 CCTV cameras from two control rooms, with 100 private security guards on duty.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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