Ranchi: At the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP)-1 ground in Ranchi’s Doranda, Goddess Durga is not just worshipped the traditional way. For over a century now, the JAP-1 personnel, mostly members from the Gorkha community, have been worshipping the deities in the form of Kalash in place of idols. But the worship also carries a unique tradition – offering gun salutes to the deities at every stage of rituals.On Saturday, JAP personnel performed Phoolpati Shobha Yatra, taken out from Tikuhall Durga Mandap to the hospital ground. Nine trees along the route were worshipped in the form of various rituals, followed by a puja at the hospital premises. Several rounds were fired during different stages — from the start of the procession to the worship of each tree, the rituals and the sacrifices.Former president of JAP Officer’s Association Ganesh Pradhan said, “The firing is done as a salute to the deities and to request them to join the rituals during the puja. This process was practised on the first day during the ‘Kalash Sthapna’ rituals as well.”JAP-1 jawans would also fire during animal sacrifice on Ashtami and Navami. “While the weapons used are original, the bullets are blanks used during training of newly recruited personnel and are harmless,” Pradhan said.On Navami, the personnel would also worship their weapons, including self-loading rifles and guns of various calibres, with the hope that they do not fail them in moments of need. This unique tradition is called Shastra Puja.Sun Kumar Subba, president of JAP Policemen’s Association, said the deities are now worshipped in the form of Kalash after idol worship attempts in the past brought ill-fortune to the personnel. “This is another exceptional aspect of our puja,” Subba said.
