TURA: One of the largest annual hindu religious gathering of devotees to goddess Kali is taking place in Babedpara village of Selsella from Monday.
The three day annual Charantala Kali Puja and mela is being organised from April 22nd to24th with the main puja scheduled to take place on the 23rd with devotees from as far as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Nepal and even Bangladesh expected to visit the Kali temple at Babedpara to give offerings ranging from sweets to birds and animals.
“We are expecting lakhs of devotees from all over the country and abroad arriving to witness the puja and mela as well as to offer their oblations,” informed the development committee organising the annual Charantala Kali Puja.
The Charantala Mela at Babedpara began decades ago and over the years has witnessed an ever increasing crowd of devotees who come to seek blessings from the goddess offering cash, ornaments, birds and animals.
The mela was also known for its large scale animal sacrifice by devotees during previous years compelling the organisers to scale down the event in recent times.
According to the Charantala Kali Puja Development committee, a long time ago there was a major outbreak of cholera disease in the surrounding villages and areas and goddess Kali is said to have appeared in a dream to one of the devotees wherein she called upon them to venerate her for which she would wipe out the suffering. After the end of the outbreak, devotees created a small temple in her honour and offered prayers, that over the years has become an important holy place for thousands of hindu devotees.