SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, March 17: With Holi around the corner, the whole city is preparing for Holika Dahan on Thursday by raising the Holika with wood from trees, old furniture, etc. Meanwhile, the Devi Mandap Puja Samiti has a different idea. Instead of raising a Holika made of wood, the Samiti has raised one completely made up of cow dung.
While talking to the Lagatar24.com correspondent, Kanhaiyalal Gupta, founder of Devi Mandap said, “We have been making a similar set up for agja (Holika) for the past 40 years. The Marwari samaj is behind the formation of this Holika. They themselves make rings and garlands made up of cow dung and form the Holika.”
“They believe that cow dung is auspicious and pure, which is why the initial formation is done with the cow dung, which is why this has been the custom for several years. We have also received seven bags of cow dung from the Gaushala nearby for today’s occasion. We also add wood, old furniture, parts of tree barks, etc, but it is added later,” Gupta added.
Upon being asked when the Holika will be lit, he said, “We plan to light it up at around 1 am. This causes comparatively less pollution and burns throughout the night. We hope this continues further.”
