'A young buffalo, several goats and pigeons are sacrificed during the five-day festival at Durgabari in the presence of thousands of devotees - all on government expense,' Debbarma said.

'The district magistrate of West Tripura has to report in writing about the preparations at Durgabari and submit a final report after completion of the mega puja.'

Dulal Bhattacharjee, the octogenarian chief priest of Durgabari temple, said it is on the final day of Dashami that the real splendour of the festival comes to the fore.

'The idols of Durgabari that lead the Dashami procession are the first to be immersed at Dashamighat with full state honours, with the police band playing the national song.'

Historian Roy said: 'The over 200-year-old Durga Puja is unique in the sense that the prasad (holy offering) includes meat, fish, eggs and, of course, fruits.'

Though the Durgabari temple celebration remains the top draw, community pujas organised by clubs and local people also vie for attention.

Traditional themes continue to dominate pandals with Indian temples and historical events forming part of the decorations.

India's moon mission Chandrayaan-1 and the tragedy of the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai will come alive in a pandal through lighting. Climate change and global warming, Tripura's royal palace, Birla Planetarium in Kolkata, Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Sun Temple of Konarak, the snow-capped hills of Kashmir, the Bombay High, a Buddhist temple in China and Kashmir's Dal Lake are also being depicted through puja marquees.

In search of novelty, a local club is building 12-foot images of the deities from match sticks.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)