Traditional 'Sindur Khela' held to bid farewell to Goddess Durga in Tripura

Agartala, Oct. 17 (ANI): A pall of gloom overwhelmed Tripura, as Durga Puja festivities reached its last day, Mahadashmi, here on Sunday.

It is believed that the Goddess Durga returns to 'Kailash' mountain on this day.

As the day moves on, women converge at the makeshift temples or pandals set up across the city to bid farewell to the Goddess and her four children with vermilion and sweets.

This day is marked here with 'Sindoor Khela' or, smearing of the vermilion.

The Bengali women folk adorning traditional dresses here offer vermilion at the feet of the Goddess and then smear each other with the red vermilion, wishing long life for their husbands and peace and prosperity for their families.

"Today is the holy immersion (Vijayadashami) and we have come here to

put vermilion on the feet of the goddess Durga with a prayer for the long life for our husbands. Then we play with this vermilion," said Suparna Roy Chowdhury a devotee.

While another devotee Mousumi Roy said, "We have come here to pray for the prosperity of our family so that this year passes nicely. We also play vermilion here. We gather here on this day every year to seek blessings of goddess Durga."

The fifth day-Mahadashami- formally starts with special pujas, yajna

and Maha Arti, followed by Darpan Bisarjan or, the ritual of biding adieu to Goddess Durga and her four children-Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesha). Idol-immersion started in the afternoon today.

Thereafter starts off the frenzied immersion ceremony.

Long processions with drums and trumpets are taken out and finally reaching various banks of rivers or any other water bodies, the idols are immersed.

After the immersion ceremony is over, people start wishing each other 'Shubho Bijoya', a custom followed by the Bengalis all over the world.

Sarmista Roy, a devotee said, "We have come here wearing new dresses but, inside our hearts, feeling very bad because this year's festival will come to an end today, and from tomorrow people will start waiting patiently for next year's 'Durga Puja' to come. By Pinaki Das (ANI)