Cuttack: When it comes to Kali Puja, the goddess at Bakhrabad has no parallel. The Bakhrabad Lokmandal Committee worships the goddess as Chinnamastika - the goddess who has chopped her own head.

The headless goddess holds her severed head in one hand while three springs of blood spurt from her neck. One spring streams into her mouth and the other two stream into the mouths of her two female aides. Her left leg is not placed over lord Shiv, but a couple embracing each other on a lotus.

Nobody knows for sure under what circumstances the worship of the Chhinnamastika form of the goddess began at Bakhrabad.

Old timers say Bharat Singh, Mukunda Behera and Rama Dalei introduced this form of worship in 1950s.

Bakhrabad Puja Committee secretary Kanhailal Nanda said: "We have continued with the tradition without making any changes, fearing that any deviation could bring bad luck to us. However, the exact reason behind the worship is not known to us."

But, the committee has stopped the practice of performing Kali Puja a day in advance. "We switched over from Chaturdashi to the customary Amabasya day this year after we found that the practice had no religious significance. It was introduced in 1996 for the convenience and availability of the priest," committee president Jaydip Pal said.

Unlike the chandi medhas of the other puja mandaps in the city, the silver tarkashi backdrop at Bakhrabad has a tree, along with motifs of skeleton, wolves and owls, that relates to death.

According to experts, Chinnamastika signifies self-control, courage and discernment. Chhinnamastika or the goddess with a severed head is the sixth of the 10 mahavidyas or great wisdom goddesses.