Girls take part in Sital Sasthi celebrations in Sambalpur. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur, June 3: Divine wedding of Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati — Sital Sasthi —was celebrated with fanfare across the state last night.

It was not just a spiritual or devotional occasion, but like any other wedding ceremony, there was much fun and celebration.

While the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar drew maximum visitors, it was Sambalpur that, as always, was the hotspot of the revelry for the festival in Odisha.

Among the gathering of hundreds of onlookers, the groom, a representative idol of Lord Shiv, was carried in palanquins decorated lavishly with flowers, to the venue — Kedar Gouri temple.

His baraat or wedding procession consisted of members of the Lingaraj temple. They not only chanted the different names of the lord, but also matched a few steps to the traditional music as well as some of the latest numbers that a band of DJs played.

On reaching the Kedar Gouri, the bride’s family welcomed groom’s side and then the rituals of an Odia wedding were performed that lasted beyond midnight.

“It was delightful to see the divinity transform as mortals and following their ways. In fact, the DJs playing at the wedding of deities was the most surprising part,” said Abhay Pasayat, a young devotee.

All small and big temples in other towns and cities, too, hosted the event. But the splendour of Sambalpur’s celebration was unmatched.

Thousands of devotees gathered in Sambalpur to witness the divine wedding. The barayatri procession of Lord Shiv came out from various Shiv temples of the city.

Artistes from across the state and neighbouring states, who had congregated here for the divine marriage, performed during the procession.