Durga Puja a blessing for silver, gold artisans in Cuttack

Cuttack (Orissa) (PTI) : As gold and silver artisans in the Millennium City are now finding it tough to match their products against exquisite and intricate machine finished works, the Durga Puja has come as a saviour after pandal organisers here promised several of them to provide work round the year.

Famous for its filigree work, the city has an envious record of sporting silver tableaux (the sparkling silver halo goddess Durga), locally known as 'chandi medha' during Dussehra.

This year, at least 12 puja committees, including one at Kathagada Sahi, have prepared 'chandi medha' for the deity for the first time in the Durga Puja.

"We have prepared the tableau with 250 kgs of silver at a cost of around Rs 60 lakh for which over a dozen artisans were engaged round the year to finish the assignment on time," said B N Mohapatra, secretary of Kathagada Sahi Puja Committee.

The tableau would be inaugurated on the Maha Sasthi day on October 5, informed Committee President, Laxmidhar Pradhan. "On this auspicious occasion, we have decided to felicitate several eminent persons of the city," he added.

Like silver tableau, golden crowns for Goddess Durga, regalia for accompanying deities and the buffalo-headed demon Mahisashura are also catching up in the city.

After the golden crowns prepared by Choudhury Bazar and Sheikh Bazar Committees, the Chauliaganj Puja Committee, which added 10 kg of silver to its tableau, has prepared golden crown for the goddess for the first time this year. source: the hindu