Traditional Ker Puja begins with religious fervour

The celebration ‘Ker Puja’  start from Friday night  onwards and on Saturday , the rituals performed at Ujjayanta palace, sponsored by Tripura government  and will continue till 5 AM of Monday, which in olden times was performed by the Tripura royals along with other rituals for the welfare of their subjects and against calamities and external aggression.

A centuries-old tribal tradition in Tripura, 'Ker Puja' is connected with a specified area or austerity. The literal meaning of 'Ker' in the tribal 'Kokborok' language is a specified area or austerity.

The rituals are carried out at government expense as the Tripura government has been holding well for over six and a half decades since its promise made to the state's erstwhile royal family to organize the 'puja'.

The state government has declared “Saturday” as a holiday in the state. During the festival, entrances to the capital are closed and participants, including the reigning sovereign, are not allowed to wear shoes, light a fire, dance, or sing. The celebration generally occurs two weeks after the Kharchi Puja to honour Ker, the guardian deity of Vastu Devata. It includes offerings, sacrifices and a prescribed boundary which both safeguards people from calamities and saves them from external aggression. The rituals are carried out at the Tripura government's expenditure as per the accord between the Tripura government and the erstwhile royal family. Besides Agartala and Purani Haveli, the puja is also organized in many tribal villages towards the end of the year or at the end of the harvesting season.