Durga Darshan

Durga Puja at Tembi Naka, Thane West

The picture attached with this article is one of the most vibrant images of Durga Ma I have ever seen. Recently when a friend sent this picture to me as Durgapuja greetings, I asked her if she could find out where this Durga idol was situated at. She said it was in a Puja Pandal near Tembi Naka in Thane West. I didn’t believe her – I thought this beautiful idol must be installed in some very big temple. An internet search didn’t give any clue and hence I decided to visit this place itself, to see Ma Durga there…

It so happened that I couldn’t go to Thane even on the day of Durga Navmi. It would have been a journey of more than an hour to reach there – and I was not sure if I will find this very idol of Durga ji there. Afternoon of Dashmi – and time was running fast. Suddenly, I felt it was now or never. Seeing this very idol of Durga ji was my dream – and I decided to take chance.

This place is called Tembi (or Tembhi) Naka in Thane West. It is not far from the railway station and buses reach this place from most of locations in Thane. Another landmark here is a big Jain Mandir which I had visited some years ago with a friend. The roads were very crowded – much more than non-festive days. I got down near the Puja Pandal, and became part of the group of devotees watching and praying to Her. It’s a huge arrangement, decorations done on a grand scale, and everything was very systematic. I saw Durga ji from a distance, and kept looking at her to be sure if she was the same :). Now what I witnessed, I will never forget in life. A yagya was under process. The sacred fire in the hawan kunda was rising very high. A couple was presiding there, with the man wearing dhoti–kurta, and the lady had put up bright saree and traditional ornaments. More than a dozen Brahmins were chanting Vedic mantras and the whole atmosphere was full of positive energy and vivacity. They kept putting offerings in the hawan kunda and Agni Devta took all of those; in turn producing heat, light, dhoop and smoke which purified the whole environment. Durga ji’s idol was installed far away at a higher platform and it seemed she kept watching all of us…

Durga Shakti is the divine energy – the beginning of this whole universe – the reason of all that ever happens – she is the cosmic energy – the sacred force – the feminine creative power – the great divine Mother in Hinduism…

India is the land of festivals. Hindu festivals, representing their unstoppable fervour and unmatched spirit of liveliness, are not invented with any particular purpose – they are simply part of our life. Just outside Her temple, the same life and energy spread itself in the form of countless colourful shops. On both sides of the road, there was a fair like situation. It attracted children with plenty of toys and items to splurge on. (I found an office of Anand Sangh there, though I couldn’t find out if this organisation was behind this puja organisation too.) Very nearby, an organised formal fair (mela) was running. I entered, remembering the mela, fair, circus, and pradarshini (exhibitions) that our hometown used to sport every year when we were young.

There were lines of shops selling toys, gol gappe, laddoos, and fashion accessories. Then there were stalls offering sports and games – use the airgun to shoot balloons – or throw rings to win the items kept on table – I never imagined we could enjoy gaon ke mele ki masti here too! There were merry-go-rounds and big jhoolas: one of them had motorbikes on which a baby boy sat in style but started crying when the speed got higher. Little girls, some times troubling their fathers with their demands, looked around curiously. Then, one of the STAR attractions – The Magic Show! The magician’s name was Jadoogar Bhairwi! And the name of the show left me rolling in laughter – it was called ‘Dil-bahaar Mayajaal’! :) Jadoogarni Bhairwi was on the stage with her eyes closed with a black mask. She hit another girl with a long knife – aiming at the apple that this bichari girl had kept on her belly while she lied on a table. And she was perfect – she hit the apple and escaped the girl! The artificial clapping applauded her with great sense of magic! :)

This area is just adjacent to Talao-pali (Masunda lake). This is a lake in which boats take the merrymaking families on the rounds. In the midst of the pond lies an island while the closed lake is surrounded by a circle with seating arrangements. A great festive environment indeed…

If you happen to be around this place during the next Durga Puja, do visit the Tembi Naka in Thane West. There is something there for each one of you… Soulful bhakti and heartfelt masti, if that’s the spirit of festivals in India, then its alive here in all its elements…

(Rahul)