Summary:
For almost seven decades great display of gold and silver embellishments at pandals mark the Durga puja festival in the city. Cuttack, the Millenium City, is glittering with precious metals as Durga puja festival is celebrated with great fervour and the pandals in the city are completely decked up and adorned with gold and silver décor. The Chowdhury Bazaar puja committee, one of the oldest in the city, is the trend-setter in gold artistry at the pandals, Das (65) said. “While 24 puja mandaps in the city have chosen silver backdrops for the deities, nine of them have given a golden touch to their idols. “More than 24 puja mandaps, including the ones in College Square, Ranihat and Mangalabag areas, have joined the elite group now (ones that use gold in pandals)..