The Durga Puja festival wrapped up across Tripura and other Northeastern states on Thursday, marking Vijaya Dashami with the start of idol immersions. Devotees in places like Agartala and Guwahati said goodbye to Goddess Durga and her children, wrapping up one of Hinduism’s biggest annual celebrations.
Chief ministers and top leaders joined the fun, visiting colorful pandals and taking part in rituals. Security ramped up to keep everything peaceful, especially during the busy festivities.
While many celebrate Dussehra separately, Tripura’s focus stayed on Durga Puja. Police reports show just 18% of the 3,000 idols—around 540—got immersed that day. Families, including men, women, and kids, gathered with heavy hearts to honor the goddess.
In a touching tradition, married women across the Northeast bid farewell to Durga on Vijaya Dashami. They offered vermillion, betel leaves, and sweets to the idols. Then came the lively Sindoor Khela, where women smeared sindoor on the goddess’s face and playfully applied it to each other, sharing sweets amid chants and laughter.
Guwahati saw vibrant processions before immersions in the Brahmaputra River and other waterways. Only a handful of idols dipped into the water on Thursday in Assam, Tripura, and nearby states—most will follow over the next two or three days.
Pandals throughout the region featured creative themes, blending traditional stories with current events and history. In Agartala, the spotlight fell on the 149-year-old Durga Puja at Durgabari temple. As per custom, its idols led the grand Dashami procession and received the first immersion at Dashamighat. State honors included a police band playing the national anthem, drawing crowds from India and even Bangladesh.
This ancient festival, started by Tripura’s kings, gets full government support— a rare setup in India. Since Tripura joined the Indian Union in 1949, both Left and non-Left governments have kept funding it, honoring a merger agreement that protects royal-era temples. The royal family and local administration still oversee the event closely, even 78 years after India’s independence.
In violence-hit Manipur, celebrations stayed low-key and subdued. Durga Puja also happens on a smaller scale in Christian-majority states like Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Mizoram.
With unrest in Bangladesh, authorities beefed up patrols along the India-Bangladesh border in Assam and Tripura. They urged the Border Security Force to stay extra vigilant against any infiltration or suspicious cross-border activity.
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