SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 10: The Durga Puja festivities in Dhanbad began on Thursday with the traditional holy bath of the ‘Kola Bou’ and its installation in the Puja pandals, despite some confusion regarding the auspicious timing on Saptami (the 7th day of Navratri).
Traditional rituals and procession
On this significant day, the Puja committees of the Bengali community carried the Kola Bou in a Palki procession to nearby water bodies, including ponds, tanks, and rivers, for ceremonial bathing.
Women devotees dressed in white saris and men in white dhoti-kurtas accompanied the procession, which was enriched by traditional Bengali music performed by local artists.
For those unable to join the procession, many waited at their respective pandals, holding ‘Arti Thals’ in preparation for the rituals to follow.
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Significance of Kola Bou
In Hindu mythology, the arrival of Maa Durga at her father’s house from her marital home in the Himalayas is celebrated on Saptami. To symbolize this arrival, Kola Bou is created, as the idol itself cannot be transported to a water body. The Kola Bou is a representation of Maa Durga and undergoes a ceremonial bath before the main idol is worshipped in the pandal.
According to Pandit Kalyan Mukherjee of Nepal Kali Mandir, Kola Bou, also known as Nabapatrika, consists of nine sacred plants tied to a banana tree trunk. These plants include turmeric, clover, pomegranate, arum, colocasia, paddy, Ashok, and Sal trees. Draped in white sarees with red borders, the Kola Bou is paraded on a Palki to receive its holy bath.
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Various Puja committees, including Hirapur Durga Mandir, Bengali Kalyan Samiti Zila Parishad, Durga Puja Samiti JC Mallick Road, Nepal Kali Mandir, Devi Para, and Jharna Para Samiti, performed the bathing ritual at Khokhan Talab. Other committees conducted the Kola Bou bathing at locations such as Pumpu Talab, Rajendra Sarovar, Rani Bandh Talab, Jharia Raja Talab, the Damodar River, Kudhia Revulate, and the Barakar River, marking the beginning of the vibrant Durga Puja celebrations.
