Kolkata: Finally, resting place for world’s tallest Durga

The world’s tallest Durga, which triggered a human tsunami at Deshapriya Park and evoked despair and even howls of protest after being rendered out of bounds for revellers, wouldn’t go down in pieces after all. The idol would soon have a new resting place and be opened for public viewing.

The organisers of the puja, that draw viewers from as far as Bangladesh, confirmed on Wednesday that the state government has volunteered to help them preserve the idol and have it permanently installed at either of the two sites proposed by it — Rabindra Sarobar or Eco Park in Rajarhat.

The club authorities will visit the two sites next week and take a call on the final resting place for the towering, 88 feet-tall Durga.

“Our club committee had mooted the proposal (of having the idol shifted to a permanent location) to the government a couple of months before the Pujas. The government held off on its response to the proposal. Now, it has proposed two sites where the idol could find a permanent resting place and be opened for public viewing. Our club president will survey these sites with state officials soon and take a call on the one most suitable to house the idol. We’ve to choose between Rabindra Sarobar Stadium and Eco Park in Rajarhat,” Sudipta Kumar, secretary of Deshapriya Park Sarbojonin Puja Committee, said.

The Rabindra Sarobar Stadium has been used since 2012 to house idols that were big Puja draws and entered the hall of fame, as it were.

However, the organisers said that shifting the towering goddess will be a time-consuming process, as it has to be dismantled and moved piece by piece. “It will take us 7-10 days to dismantle the idol,” Kumar said.