VARANASI: Golden Sporting Club’s Durga idol was immersed at the Company Bagh pond at 11.08 pm on Friday, October 23, after a procession from Deonathpura through the old city.
The evening followed sindoor-khela rituals at the puja venue. At around 4 pm, 51 women took part in worship and sindoor-daan before exchanging greetings through the customary application of vermilion.
An aarti preceded the departure of the Ganesha idol, followed by the lowering and movement of the Durga idol. The latter was lifted from the venue at about 6 pm, beginning a slow passage through the neighbourhood’s narrow lanes.
The roughly 500-metre approach to the main road took about an hour and three-quarters. People watched from houses and rooftops, offering flowers and aarti as the procession moved towards the wider route.
From narrow lanes to Godowlia
Once the idol reached the road, further decoration and worship took place. The procession then moved from Jangambadi towards Godowlia, taking about an hour over that stage of the journey.
At Godowlia, the idols were taken through seven ceremonial circuits before the procession continued towards Chowk and Maidagin. Music accompanied devotees along the route.
The sequence illustrates why a procession’s departure time and immersion time can be several hours apart. Ritual stops, the movement of a large idol through confined lanes and the progress of the accompanying crowd all form part of the journey.
Diversions applied during the procession
Traffic was restricted between Godowlia and Jangambadi and between Godowlia and Maidagin while the procession passed. The reported restriction included two-wheelers, with vehicles diverted through adjoining routes.
Those were arrangements for Friday’s completed event. They should not be treated as a standing closure order for October 24 or as a substitute for current traffic directions linked with the air show.
Security personnel accompanied the movement from the puja site to the immersion pond. The account identifies officers from six police stations, three assistant commissioners and two PAC companies among the deployment.
Cantt MLA Saurabh Srivastava was among those who visited the club for darshan. Club president Vishwajit Shastri, vice-president Chandrashekhar Tulsiyani, Kanhai Chand and Amar Basu were also present during the programme, which concluded at the Company Bagh pond.
By the time the idol reached Company Bagh, more than five hours had passed since it was lifted from the puja venue. The evening had taken devotees from the sindoor rituals at Deonathpura through flower offerings in the lanes, worship on the main road and the ceremonial circuits at Godowlia, before the final immersion at 11.08 pm.
