The historic Mata Tripura Sundari Temple at Matabari in Udaipur is all set to welcome thousands of devotees and pilgrims as preparations are in full swing for the three-day-long Diwali Festival and Mela, one of the largest and most traditional religious festivals in Northeast India.
The festival will be held from November 8 to 10. Chief Minister Professor Dr Manik Saha will formally inaugurate the festival and fair on Sunday evening, November 8.
The details were announced by Diwali Festival and Mela Committee Chairman and MLA Abhishek Debroy at a press conference organised at the temple premises on Saturday evening.
Addressing the media, Debroy said that Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha would participate in the Kalyan Aarti on the banks of Kalyan Sagar on Sunday evening. Subsequently, he would formally inaugurate the three-day festival and fair by lighting the ceremonial lamp at the evening programme venue.
The MLA expressed hope that around 10 lakh devotees and pilgrims would visit the festival this year.
The Mata Tripura Sundari Temple, regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas associated with Goddess Sati, attracts a large number of devotees every year from different parts of Tripura and other states during the Diwali celebrations.
Alongside its rich religious heritage and spiritual significance, this year’s festival will feature several modern entertainment attractions. A special drone show is expected to be one of the major highlights. Cultural programmes featuring renowned artistes from Tripura and other states will also be organised throughout the three days. More than 2,000 artistes from within and outside the state are expected to participate in the cultural events, Debroy said.
As part of the special religious arrangements, Mangal Aarti will be performed by priests and scholars arriving from Kashi. The temple has also been beautifully decorated with fresh flowers, while elaborate illumination arrangements have been made across the temple premises and adjoining areas.
The entire fairground, along with Subhash Setu, a key route used by pilgrims to reach the temple, has been adorned with attractive modern lighting arrangements. Adequate facilities for drinking water and toilets have also been arranged for the convenience of visitors.
Considering the expected massive gathering, special emphasis has been laid on crowd management and security arrangements at the temple and fairground. According to the MLA, around 800 volunteers will remain on duty to regulate the movement of devotees within the temple premises.
Separate entry and exit routes have been designated to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims and prevent congestion. Adequate numbers of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) personnel, police forces and Quick Response Teams will also be deployed to maintain security.
Gomati District Superintendent of Police Anirban Das said that precautionary measures had already been initiated to prevent any untoward incident during the festival. To strengthen security, police watchtowers, command posts and police assistance booths will be set up at several strategic locations.
Continuous surveillance will also be maintained through CCTV cameras installed at important locations across the fairground. He assured that the police administration would remain fully prepared to respond promptly to any situation.
Those present at the press conference included Gomati Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Debal Debroy, Matabari Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Shilpi Das, Gomati District Magistrate Rinku Lather, Information and Cultural Affairs Department Deputy Director Tinku Biswas, Matabari RD Block BDO Arijit Pal, and Deputy Collector and Magistrate of the Gomati District Magistrate’s office Chandrashekhar Chattopadhyay, besides officials from various administrative departments and other dignitaries.