NNN
TURA, May 5
All roads in the Garo Hills region led to the village of Babedpara on Tuesday to celebrate the 51st Annual Charantal Mela. The temple built in the image of Goddess Kali saw devotees throng by the lakhs in what is the biggest gathering of worship of the Goddess in the region. Some even walked the whole distance from Tura to the tiny village and the temple to show their devotion. The festival this year is being held from the April 4 to 6.
The three-day festival sees about 4 to 5 lakhs devotees make the trip every year to pray with some even coming from Bangladesh and Nepal. The site is also marked as a part of religious tourism, under the tourism department, within the state and lies in the Selsella block in West Garo Hills (WGH), about 52 kms from Tura.
Explaining the origins of the temple and the annual gathering, president of the Charantala Mela Committee, Bholanath Koch said, “It was in the year 1965 before the birth of Bangladesh that a small pox epidemic led to the loss of more than 20 lives. It was then that Goddess Kali appeared in a vision of a person by the name of Yuvraj. She asked for a temple in her devotion to take care of the ills. There was a meeting after which the current location was chosen for a temple. The annual festival has continued ever since”.
“The blessing of the Goddess is upon the temple and that is why from humble beginnings, we have been able to make this a place for worship, where people come to pay their respects every year”, he added.
The site saw the inauguration of a new building under the BRGF scheme on Monday aptly named Multi Purpose Transit Hall to cater to the growing number of followers every year. It was inaugurated by local MLA, Clement Marak in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of WGH, Pravin Bakshi, who himself is a devotee.
The committee however said that there are still a few niggles in providing the best to the lakhs that visit. “The bridge to connect to the temple still needs completion. It is supposed to be done by the year end as promised by our MLA. Water is still an issue as catering to the huge numbers that come every year is a problem. The PHE supply is currently not enough and we have requested for an expansion”, said secretary, Winson Koch.
The temple may see a new idol of the Goddess next year as indicated by the committee. “We had ordered for a marble Kali idol but it was not complete. We are hopeful it will be done by the next year”, added vice president Sushil Koch.
