Bhubaneswar, Oct. 19: The invocation of Goddess Durga commenced with Sashthi puja rituals observed across the state today, marking the peak of festivities that will continue for the next four days. In the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, temples were seen conducting special prayers and observing the rituals of ushering in the Goddess before going into Saptami prayers on Tuesday.
The autumn festival that highlights the power of the feminine divinity takes its festive form with the bela baran rituals at the pandals. On Sasthi, the organising members and priests worship a stone apple tree or bela tree in the evening. The next morning, they collect a branch of this tree that has two fruits on it and along with other paraphernalia to invoke the Goddess through a chakhyu daan and prana pratistha ritual wherein the idol of the Goddess is brought to life.
"We completed the bela baran rituals this evening. We will bring the bela branch and conduct some rituals along the banks of the Kuakhai. Then, we will take the consecrated water from there and complete the prana pratistha and "chakhyu daan" rituals at the pandal on Saptami with chanting of prayers to invoke the deity," said Narayan Mohapatra, an organising member of the Saheed Nagar Puja Committee in Bhubaneswar.
Cuttack pandals too geared up for the special prayers. After the Sasthi puja today, the pandal-hoppers will be able to view the face of the idols from Saptami.
"We have completed all the required arrangements for easy viewing of the goddess by visitors who will be thronging the pandal from Tuesday afternoon," said a member of the Balu Bazar Puja Committee in Cuttack.
Temples filled up with chants, drum beats, conch and gong sounds along with chandi patha or recital of the mythological scriptures of the Goddess.
"According to the scriptures, the Goddess is awakened from her sleep with Sasthi prayers and after invoking, she is requested to bring an end to the tyranny of Mahisasura," said Prafulla Mishra, a priest.
Eco-friendly puja
Eco-friendly concepts welcomed visitors at a number of puja pandals in the city this year. The committees have not used plastic materials and synthetic paints and only made use of biodegradable items such as jute and hay to make the pandals. The pandal at Unit-1 resembles a temple with interesting patterns on it and the 65-feet high and 88-feet wide pandal has been created out of jute sticks. The organisers, Mahadev Puja Committee, have refrained from using any synthetic colours keeping the look of the pandal raw and ethnic. "Jute is a natural organic fibre that is biodegradable and recyclable. So, we consciously replaced plastic decorations with jute," said Gayadhar Swain, president of the committee. Likewise, the Bomikhal Durga Puja Committee has also used jute sticks to create their pandal. That apart, they have also made use of natural plants and paper decorations to enhance the ambience inside the pandal. The design here is simple and, more importantly, eco-friendly.
Ravan podi
Ravan podi in the city promises to be bigger this year with organisers deciding to make up for the last two years' understated show owing to cyclones Hud Hud and Phailin. The organisers of the Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Samiti will burn a 50-feet high effigy that would have special crackers brought from Sivakashi and Jajpur fitted in it. A grand "dahan" ritual will also take place at Nayapalli where the organisers have made elaborate arrangements including hosting a Ravan darbar and a competition on the display of fireworks. But, the Rasulgarh Durga Puja Committee has cancelled the Ravan podi owing to environmental hazards pondering on its ill effects to the environment. "A number of senior citizens and children in the area feel uncomfortable owing to the smoke from the effigy burning. So we decided to stop it and keep the environment safety," said president of Rasulgarh Durga Puja Committee.
Dandiya zeal
Dandiya nights being hosted at various places in the city are attracting big crowds. Accompanied by friends and family, people of all age groups are grooving to music with dandiya sticks in their hands. A number of clubs at Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Khandagiri and IRC Village are organising Dandiya festival in their neighbourhoods. Youngsters are mostly seen thronging Hotel Mayfair and Janta Maidan to engage themselves in disco dandiya. The DJs here are churning out high-voltage music with songs such as Prem Leela from Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Nagada Sang Dhol Baje from Goliyon Ki Rasleela - Ram-Leela being quite popular. A five-day Dandiya festival begins at Exhibition Ground today where revellers would get an opportunity to try the rain dandiya. This year they are also organising a fair and a Dandiya Queen competition to attract more visitors.
Puja magazines
Odia literature lovers find autumn the best time of the year with vernacular magazines flooding bookstores, especially for Dussehra when noted authors contribute special articles and stories in the colourful special editions of magazines. Several publishers have come up with an interesting collection of poems, novels and short stories for their readers. The number of vernacular publications coming up with special Puja editions is rising and the price of the festive edition ranges between Rs 50 and Rs 100.
