Prayagraj: This year, the centenary of Bai Ka Bagh Durga Puja Barwari is not limited to a grand pandal; it is also a celebration of 100 years of faith, community participation, and cultural heritage. Puja coordinator and media in-charge Lalu Mittal stated that the grand series of events began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by City North MLA Harsh Vardhan Vajpayee. A souvenir was released by guests and committee members. A grand laser show was held for the first time at any Durga Puja venue. The 45-minute laser beam show showcased glimpses of the Prayagraj Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati confluence and the historic Kumbh Mela, the pride of the country’s brave soldiers, and the captivating sound and light depictions of Goddess Durga’s killing of Mahishasura, the Shiva Tandava, and the divine play of Krishna and Kanhaiya were mesmerized by the thousands of devotees present, stunned by this first-time performance and applauded enthusiastically.

In this centenary year, the pandal is themed after the famous Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala, with Lord Vishnu seated on a cobra in a sleeping posture, the cobra protecting the immense treasure hidden in the basement of the Padmanabha Temple, and the famous concept of wealth, all of which are reflected in the pandal.

In the grand inauguration program, President Jayant Shridhar Joshi, Executive President Raju Dwivedi, TP Mishra, Rajesh Malik, Subroto Ghosh, Secretary Ratnesh Pandey, Pawan Shukla, Sunil Shukla, Chikki Jain, Abha Dwivedi, Councilor Kiran Jaiswal, Tinku Kohli, Gopal Mittal, Ankit Singh were present. Praveen Jain and Sachin Rawat were present along with all the committee officials. The program was conducted by Shailendra Dwivedi.