Niranjan ritual is the immersion ceremony during Durga puja in Bengal. The idol or ghot (sacred vessel symbolizing the deity) is taken directly to the Ganga or another holy waterbody. There, the Bisorjon Mantra (immersion chant) is recited —
“যান্তু
দেবগণাঃ সর্বে পূজামাদায় মামকিম…”
“Jantu devaganah sarve pujamadāya māmakiṁ...”
Through this chant, the Goddess is bid farewell, with the
hope that she will return again the following year. Before the idol reaches the
riverbank, flowers, incense, lamps, and grains of rice are offered—final
offerings of devotion. All around, the sounds of conch shells and drums echo,
tinged with the sadness of parting.
Another special custom of Dashami Niranjan is Sindoor Khela.
Women, especially married ones, touch vermillion to the Goddess’s forehead,
smear it on each other, and offer their reverence. Then begins the beating of
conch shells, dhaks, and dhols. The farewell procession begins.
In household worship too, the ritual of immersing the ghot
has been practiced for generations. The water from the ghot is poured into a
chosen pond or river, symbolically bidding farewell to the deity with respect.
After the worship concludes, everyone partakes of prasad (sanctified food),
offers dakshina (honorarium) to the priest, and folds their hands in reverence
to the Goddess.
Nowadays, there is a growing awareness about environmental
protection. Hence, many places now create eco-friendly idols, ensuring that the
immersion does not pollute the Ganga or other waterbodies. A special ghot is
also immersed during this time, through which the deity is ceremonially bid
farewell.