West Bengal celebrated "Mahasasti", the first day of the Durga puja festival, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday.
On the occasion of Mahasasti, life is instilled in the idol in a ritual known as ''Pran Prathistha''.
In the evening, the face of the idol was unveiled as a part of the age-old custom called ''Bodhon''.
People in large numbers, many of whom were seen violating the Covid19 protocols by not wearing masks, visited puja pandals.
The physical distancing norm also went for a toss as police had a difficult time managing the crowd.
A huge rush was seen towards those puja pandals, mostly in the southern part of the city, that won accolades because of their innovative themes.
Incidentally, the West Bengal government has given relaxations to night curfew for a brief period (October 10 to 20) so that puja enthusiasts do not face any problem while pandal hopping.
