CUTTACK: The Balubazaar Puja Committee has challenged the State Government order restricting size of the Goddess Durga idols at Puja mandaps/pandals to four feet, in the Orissa High Court.
On September 10, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner had issued the order directing adherence to certain rules for observance of Durga Puja, Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja and other festivals in view of Covid-19 guidelines issued by the State Government on August 31.
One of the rules stipulated that the size of the idols shall be less than 4 ft. On Friday, the Balubazaar Puja Committee’s president Suryakant Sangneria along with two other secretaries of the Committee - Rajendra Samal and Ramesh Chandra Behera - filed a petition seeking intervention against the restriction.
The petition has sought the Court’s direction to the State authorities to revoke the restriction as Mrunamaya Murti (clay statue) of Goddess Durga of the customary size had already been constructed and the first coat of colour would be applied on the day of Mahalaya on September 17 in a ritual called ‘Khadi Chadah’.
According to the petition construction of the clay idols of Durga and smaller sized idols of other deities - Ganesh, Kartik, Laxmi and Saraswati along with the Lion and Mahinsasur - is done on a Khadama (a supporting wooden platform and back support). A Khancha (mould) is used for giving shape to the idols from face to neck.
Both Khadama and Khancha are preserved and worshipped round the year for construction of the idol of Goddess Durga which goes up to nearly 7 ft from the base of the Khadama, the petition contends.
The September 10 order said it was issued with regard to the High Court order passed against a PIL on August 31 by Balubazar Puja Committee The August 31 order said, “Taking note of the statement of Advocate General Ashok Kumar Parija, that permission has already been granted to the Puja Committee to construct the idol of the deity on the condition that Puja shall be performed inside Puja Ghar/Pandal, without congregation and without taking procession, the writ petition is disposed of with the direction that the guidelines/instructions/SOP issued by the Central Government and the State Government with regard to adherence to norms of social distancing and use of masks and sanitiser etc. shall be strictly followed”.
The PIL had then sought the court’s intervention to allow construction of the idol of Maa Durga in shape of Mrunamaya Murti (clay statue) and to allow Durga Puja and observe Dussehra festival from October 21 to 27 without pomp and ceremony, without any decoration of deity and without immersion procession.