Saraswati Puja, the worship of the goddess of knowledge, arts and music for followers of Sanatan Dharma, is being celebrated at Jagannath University in a grand and festive atmosphere.
The puja formally began on Friday (January 23) at 8:30am on the university campus and is still ongoing. This year, 37 out of the university’s total 39 departments have organized Saraswati Puja in separate pandals.
According to sources, every year the worship of Goddess Saraswati is held on the fifth day (Shukla Panchami) of the lunar month of Magh, following traditional rituals. The puja begins with the invocation of the goddess and concludes with floral offerings (Pushpanjali) and the distribution of prasad.
Smriti, a student of the English Department who participated in the puja, said, “We are celebrating this day with great joy. We have also invited friends from other religious communities and they have joined us. We are eating together and enjoying the moment,it feels wonderful.”
Another student from the Bangla Department, Hriday Roy, said, “Goddess Saraswati is the deity of knowledge, music and arts. Through this puja every year, we pray to be educated with true learning and to awaken the hidden talents within us.”
Tatini Roy Tithi, a student of the History Department, said, “This is the only day of the year when we worship Goddess Saraswati. We pray so that we can pursue knowledge properly throughout the year. I am really enjoying such a joyful environment on campus.”
Rabindranath Mondal, president of the Puja Committee, said, “Since morning, this year’s Saraswati Puja has been celebrated in a very grand manner with the combined participation of teachers, students, and staff. As the president of the Puja Committee, I would like to especially thank the Proctorial Body and the JnU Central Students’ Union (JnUCSU) Committee for their overall cooperation. In particular, the support of JnUCSU Cultural Secretary Takrim is highly commendable.”
After visiting the puja mandaps, Vice-Chancellor of Jagannath University Professor Rezaul Karim said, “Saraswati Puja is being celebrated with great grandeur and enthusiasm among the students. I have visited every mandap. Congratulations to all Sanatani students. To ensure a more elaborate celebration, we have increased the budget this year compared to last year.”