51-ft flag hoisted at Mahakali temple in Chandrapur; entertainment events cancelled over drought

Chandrapur: A 51-foot-high flag was hoisted with due rituals at the Shri Mata Mahakali temple on Sunday, October 11, marking the Ghatasthapana of Shardiya Navratri. The ceremony was held as part of Mata Mahakali Mahotsav 2026, organised by the Shri Mata Mahakali Mahotsav Trust.

MLA Kishor Jorgewar was present at the temple. He took darshan of the silver idol of Mata Mahakali, after which the goddess's palanquin procession set out. Manish Maharaj, Sunil Mahakale, Raju Shastrakar, Ajay Jaiswal, Shyam Dhopte, Milind Gampawar, Balram Dodani, Prasad Jorgewar, Sanju Burghate, Arun Tikhe, Savita Dandhare and Vandana Hatgaonkar were among those present, along with office-bearers of the trust and a large number of devotees.

Keeping in mind the drought situation in Maharashtra, it has been decided to cancel the entertainment programmes of the festival this year. The aim is to save the expenditure on these programmes and use it to help drought-hit farmers. The religious traditions and social activities of the festival will continue as before. The emphasis is on preserving the festival's tradition by balancing faith, service and social commitment.

MLA Kishor Jorgewar said: "Following Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's appeal, it is our social responsibility to take note of the pain and difficulties of our farmer brethren in the drought situation in Maharashtra. We have therefore decided to cancel the entertainment programmes and use that expenditure to help drought-hit farmers. However, the religious traditions and public-welfare activities of the Mata Mahakali Mahotsav will continue. With the mother's blessings, we are trying to carry this tradition of devotion, service and social commitment forward."

After the flag hoisting, the silver idol of Mata Mahakali was worshipped with due rituals. The idol was then taken in a palanquin procession to a chariot. Amid bhajans, kirtans and music, the chariot was taken to the residence of Nitin Kumarwar. This year, the Kumarwar family received the first honour of taking the silver idol home and giving devotees the opportunity for darshan.

During Navratri, there is a tradition of taking the silver idol of Mata Mahakali to homes for darshan. Accordingly, the idol has been installed at the Kumarwar family's residence. On Monday, October 12, the idol will be taken in a procession with music from Nitin Kumarwar's residence to the residence of Ramjeevan Parmar.

Cancelled programmes: Devotional singers Gajendra Pratap Singh, Hemant Brijwasi and Chaitanya Deodhe, and singer Jaspinder Narula, were scheduled to perform devotional music during the five-day festival planned from October 14. All these programmes have been cancelled in view of the seriousness of the drought situation in the state.

Programmes going ahead as planned: Religious traditions and social activities will continue as pre-planned. These include the worship of and meal for 9,999 girls. Married women will be given green bangles with wishes for lasting marital happiness. Girls born during Navratri will be given a silver coin. A Nagar Pradakshina, or procession around the city, will also be held on October 19.