The famous Sitala Puja on Motilal Gupta Road in Behala’s Sakher Bazar completed its 115th year this week. Thousands of devotees gathered to celebrate the special occasion with faith and joy on Saturday.
A key part of the puja was the dandi ritual. In this sacred tradition, devotees lie down and roll or crawl their way to the temple. This shows their devotion and asks for blessings from Goddess Sitala. Many believe the goddess protects people from smallpox and other diseases.
From early morning, men, women, and children, dressed in traditional clothes, arrived at the puja ground. Some kept fasts, and many performed dandi as a symbol of gratitude to the Goddess. One of the senior members of the Puja Committee, Rintu Das, stated: “It is a happy moment for our community. People from all ages take part every year, and we are happy to see young people join too.”
Local volunteers and police made sure that the crowd moved smoothly. Water stalls, first-aid centres and cultural programmes were also arranged for the visitors.
Ruma Banerjee, a devotee from Behala, said: “I have been coming here for the past twenty year. Ma Sitala has always kept my family safe. This puja is very special for us.”
As the day ended, the temple was lit with lamps and filled with prayers.