Durga Puja at Siliguri organized by Mitra Sammelani Club began on the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra day. The original Durga Puja is 90 days way. The Mitra Sammelani committee founded in 1909 organizes the puja at the Chandimandap at Sisir Bhaduri Sarani in Khudirampally in Silguri and follows the rituals of their Puja strictly.
Durga Puja here begins with Katham puja (worship of the frame) on the Rathyatra day every year. The idol-maker carries the priest to the chandimandap and performs the ritual, which marks the beginning of Durga Puja.
“Ours is a traditional Puja and we follow the “Shastras” in letter and spirit,” said Mr Uday Dubey, general secretary, Mitra Sammelani, the 100-year-old club, which has been organising the Puja, without interruption, since 1927.The stress is on simplicity, with even the celebratory light and decorations missing. The idol is in ‘ekchala’ form and decorated in ‘daker saaj'. The Puja is the oldest community puja in Siliguri and the only place where Katham puja is held in the town, he pointed out. (The Statesman Kolkata)