The Durgabari temple, one of the oldest in Tripura, is set to celebrate 148 years of worshiping the two-armed Goddess Durga. On the day of the immersion of the Durga idol, the goddess receives a gun salute from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), accompanied by the playing of the national anthem as a gesture of respect. During the puja, devotees offer a variety of prasad, including meat, fish, and eggs, alongside traditional items like vegetables and rice.
"This time the puja enters its 148th year, the oldest puja in Tripura in its present location. It was Maharaja Krishna Kishore Manikya Bahadur who first began worshiping Goddess Durga in what is now Chittagong, Bangladesh, around 500 years ago. Over the years, the goddess was venerated from Chittagong to Amarpur in Gumati to Udaipur, before finally establishing itself in Agartala," explained Jayanta Bhattacharjee, the chief priest of Durgabari temple, in an interview with PTI.
The Durga puja festivities are scheduled to take place from October 9 to 12. Bhattacharjee noted that this temple uniquely worships the two-armed form of Goddess Durga, a tradition that dates back many years. "Long ago, Maharani Sulakshana Devi fainted upon seeing a ten-handed goddess at Durgabari and was taken back to the palace.
That night, she received a divine message to worship a two-armed goddess instead from the following year. Since then, we have been honoring a two-armed goddess at Durgabari," he shared. Also read | Durga Puja in West Bengal: Che.
