Devotees are making a beeline to a Durga Puja pandal in Ranchi themed on the ancient 'gurukul' knowledge system, showcasing 21,000 books.
The pandal at Argora Chowk, resembling a grand library, enshrines Goddess Durga amid thousands of books, with the ambience being a delight for people, especially bibliophiles.
Shri Durga Puja & Ravana Dahan Committee, Argora committee president Pankaj Sahu told, "Every year, we make efforts to do something different. This year, we decided to build a pandal on the theme of 'gurukul' tradition, using 21,000 selected books."
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Among the books are religious texts Ramayana, Mahabharat and Bhagavat Gita, a copy of the Constitution, books on the Hindi alphabet, science, history and the Jharkhand movement.
"The reason we built our pandal like a library is to make today's youth aware of our religious texts and also to popularise the habit of reading, which is decreasing among the people," Sahu said.
A 14-foot Durga idol has been installed inside the 50-foot by 40-foot marquee, and in front of her, at some distance, a 15-foot peepal tree has been erected.
Beneath it, the gurukul tradition has been depicted, with sadhus, surrounded by disciples, holding copies of Ramayana and Mahabharat, facing the goddess.
The committee spent around Rs 38 lakh on the pandal, idols and lighting, he said.
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