Team Herald
PONDA: Despite challenges like arson and damages to their zayo (Jasmine flowers) plantations by anti-social elements recently, the Naik Fulkar Samaj celebrated 111 years of zayo puja, offering jasmine flowers to Goddess Mahalasa at the temple at Mardol.
Various programmes were also organised to mark celebrations.
The tradition began over a century ago when the Samaj members offered prayers to get rid of the pandemic. Despite obstacles, the community remains devoted to preserving the tradition.
The locals depend on zayo for their livelihood, but refrain from selling them for two days before the puja.
The 66 families involved in the tradition did not sell zayo during this period, reserving them solely for the deity.
The Samaj members expressed concern about the destruction of zayo plantations by anti-social elements and real estate developers and urged the government to protect their tradition from vested interests.
The puja holds deep significance for the people of Mardol, who believe it saved them from a pandemic in the past.
Naik Fulkar Samaj president Vinayak Naik and Pratap Naik said, “Mardol is known for zayo, and zayo puja was started 111 years ago when Mardol was hit by a pandemic. People were dying and the villagers offered prayers to Goddess Mahalasa to get rid of the pandemic. After the pandemic wave was over, they continued to with their prayers by offering zayo to Goddess Mahalasa. Nobody sells zayo for two days as all want to decorate the temples with zayo during the puja and today we feel proud to celebrate puja with the same devotion, started 111 years ago.”
Chief minister Pramod Sawant visited the temple and offered prayers.