Fervour marks Saraswati puja

[Guest guest]

Fervour marks Saraswati puja

HT Correspondent

Varanasi, February 3

SARASWATI PUJA was performed with traditional fervour and gaiety in

the holy city on Friday to celebrate Basant Panchami.

 

Idols of Goddess Saraswati were installed at the beautifully

decorated puja pandals amid chanting of vedic mantras.

 

Schoolchildren also participated in the celebrations. Several

competitions, like fancy dress, singing and dance contests, were also

organised in different schools on the occasion.

 

Besides clubs and religious organisations, several academic

institutions, like Banaras Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi

Vidyapeeth, Dhirendra Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Hanuman Prasad Poddar

Andh Vidyalaya, Mumuksha Bhavan Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, CM Anglo

Bengali Inter College etc, performed Saraswati puja today.

 

BHU vice-chancellor Prof Punjab Singh performed the worship at the

foundation site of the varsity. BHU also celebrates its foundation

day on the occasion of Saraswati puja.

 

Inmates of Triveni Complex (girls' hostel), Birla and Rooia (boys'

hostel) celebrated the festival with enthusiasm. Activists of the

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) also took out a procession from

Aiyer Hostel on the occasion.

 

A large number of makeshift shops with idols of Goddess Sarawsati

were set up in the markets.

 

The immersion procession of the idols of Goddess Saraswati will be

held at different ghats of the Ganga in Varanasi.

 

The district administration made elaborate security arrangements at

prominent places to avoid any untoward incident. Traffic restrictions

have been imposed at prominent routes towards the ghats on Friday and

Saturday.

 

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