Guwahati Durga idol immersion began at seven designated ghats on Vijaya Dashami and will continue on Thursday, with authorities issuing traffic restrictions and diversions to manage the movement of thousands of devotees, idol-carrying vehicles and regular commuters across the city.
The immersion process is being conducted at Pandu, Lachit Ghat, Saukuchi, Basistha, Choonsali, Sonapur and Panikhaiti. Around 600 Durga Puja celebrations were organised in Guwahati this year. Pandu is expected to handle more than 250 idols alone.
The district administration, Guwahati Municipal Corporation and the health department have made arrangements at the immersion locations under the supervision of the Pandu Ghat Immersion Committee. The arrangements are intended to support devotees and coordinate the proceedings as idol processions reach the riverfront and other designated water bodies.
The ceremonies followed the final Dashami rituals at puja pandals. Idol processions began after prayers and customary observances, including Sindoor Khela, which formed part of the closing day of the five-day Durga Puja celebrations. Across Assam, puja committees also began taking idols to rivers and other water bodies for immersion.
Guwahati Traffic Police issued an advisory covering both immersion days. It prescribes routes for vehicles carrying idols and diversions for regular traffic in areas likely to experience congestion. The district administration has advised commuters travelling towards Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and the Saraighat Bridge to avoid affected roads wherever possible and use the national highway instead.
Vehicles carrying DJ equipment and loudspeakers have been barred from approaching the immersion ghats. The restriction is part of the traffic and access arrangements around the sites, where processions, emergency movement and pedestrian activity are expected to overlap.
The scale of the celebrations has also increased across the state. Assam recorded 9,002 community Durga Puja pandals this year, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The figure is 481 higher than the 8,521 pandals recorded in 2025 and 621 higher than the 8,381 recorded in 2024.
Sarma attributed the increase to the prevailing peace and harmony in the state and thanked puja organisers, volunteers, police personnel and government employees involved in the celebrations. The immersion operations in Guwahati are scheduled to continue on Thursday, with traffic restrictions and designated routes remaining in force during the processions.
