As the country immerses itself in devotion during the Sharad Navratri festival, and with the arrival of Goddess Durga, the city of Ranchi in Jharkhand is witnessing the construction of unique Durga Puja pandals. These pandals, based on various themes, are a major attraction, making Ranchi a prominent location for grand Durga Puja celebrations. The Bharatiya Yuvak Sangh in the Bakri Bazar area of Ranchi has created a magnificent Durga Puja pandal inspired by the world-famous Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.
Various other grand pandals are being constructed in different parts of Ranchi. The Panch Mandir Durga Puja Samiti in Harmu has designed a replica of the Prem Mandir in Vrindavan. Meanwhile, the Durga Puja committee in Ratu Road, Ranchi, has constructed a Durga Puja pandal modeled after the Vatican City church in Rome, Italy, which has sparked controversy even before its inauguration.
Controversy arose because the Durga Puja pandal in Ranchi has been designed based on the Vatican City church in Rome, Italy. The National Spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Vinod Bansal, expressed his objection to the pandal on social media platform X. Along with his post, he shared videos of the pandal’s exterior and interior, questioning the religious sentiments of Hindus, accusing the JMM leader Vicky Yadav of converting the pandal into a hub for religious conversion. The RR Sporting Club in Ratu Road, Ranchi, has recreated the entire Vatican City of Rome for the installation of the Durga idol.
Following the design, the exterior and interior of the pandal closely resemble the church in Vatican City. Inside the pandal, there are pictures of Catholic religious leaders. Additionally, some people are depicted on the outside of the pandal holding the Christian symbol of the cross. These elements have led to controversy. Vinod Bansal, the national spokesperson of VHP, posted a video of the Durga Puja pandal, designed to look like a church, on social media, expressing his objections.
The RR Sporting Club in Ratu Road, Ranchi, is spending approximately 70 lakh rupees to construct the Durga Puja pandal, based on the Vatican City church in Rome, Italy, which has become a subject of controversy before its inauguration for devotees.
As the controversy surrounding the pandal’s design intensified, the RR Durga Puja Samiti removed the elements that the Hindu organizations had objected to, to avoid hurting the sentiments of devotees visiting during the Durga Puja.
