Double delight: Ram Lalla with goddess Durga at Sahara Estate pandal

As many as 30 workers have been employed and they are headed by popular artist Asim Matya who said that the pandal would look like Ram temple from all sides.

LUCKNOW: Soaking into the newly built Ram Mandir fervour, this year’s pandal at the Sahara Estate of Jankipuram will be a replica of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Interestingly, a life size idol of ‘Ram Lalla’ similar to the one in Ayodhya, will also be kept along with the idol of goddess Durga .

Upcoming pandal at Sahara Estate in Lucknow’s Jankipuram area. (HT)

The organisers said that since many people could not travel to Ayodhya, they wanted to provide a look of the city in Lucknow.

“The artists from Kolkata are working day and night to meet the deadline as the puja is set to begin with Navratri from October 3,” said Ram Avatar Pandey, president of Sadbhavna Sanskritik Samiti which has been organising the puja for the past 24 years.

As many as 30 workers have been employed and they are headed by popular artist Asim Matya who said that the pandal would look like Ram temple from all sides. “Constructed at a cost of around ₹12 lakh, the pandal will be 85 feet tall and 70 feet wide with a depth of 90 feet. As many as 2000 bamboos are being used along with thermocol, cloth and different lights,” said Matya, who said that devotees would be able to get a glimpse from October 7 itself. “I once made Ram temple pandal in Model House but this is bigger and will look like Ram temple even from Inside. Ram Lalla has also been kept for the first time,” he added.

“Every year we try to do something unique. Last year we showcased Kolkata’s Belur Math and made a life-size ship pandal in 2022,” said Arvind Singh, organiser.

“Four dhakhis (drummers), who have been coming from Bankura district of Bengal for the past 18 years, will be here from shashthi to dashami to enhance the joyful atmosphere,” said committee general secretary Rita Ghosh.

“There will be several cultural programmes with distribution of bhog. Puja will begin from October 7 with Ananda Mela and will be over on October 13 with idol immersion,” informed Ashish Das Gupta, treasurer.