The week-long Kharchi Puja, Tripura’s grandest festival, began this morning as the fourteen deities of the royal shrine were carried out in a ceremonial chariot through the streets of Agartala.
Thousands lined the route from the old Ujjayanta palace grounds to the Dashami temple, many in traditional rignai and kamchwlwi. The festival marks the cleansing of the state’s sins, when the fourteen deities are bathed in the holy waters of the Saidra.
This year’s procession featured a record 120 cultural troupes, and the state government has declared a public holiday for the final day. Traders reported brisk business at the adjoining fair, with tribal handloom stalls selling out by afternoon.