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Bhubaneswar, Oct. 4: Special prayers and rituals were observed at places of religious significance across the state today on the occasion of Mahalaya with preparations getting paced up for Dussehra.
According to mythology, Goddess Durga was invoked to kill demon Mahisasur on this day.
On the occasion of Mahalaya, the tarpan (special prayer) and shradha rituals were performed, in which ancestors were offered water and food, along riverbanks and quite a few ponds.
The Bindusagar lake in the city saw a rush for the rituals since the pitru paksha concluded today and the Navaratri or nine-day festival starts tomorrow.
In Cuttack, where one can spot the state’s most famous Durga Puja celebrations, devotees thronged the Chandi temple. The special puja rituals began last week for the 16 avatars (incarnations) of the goddess and so will continue every day till Dussehra.
This year, the district administration is launching a website, which is expected to be an added charm along with the grand arrangements of lighting and pandals.
Bhubaneswar is also gearing up with its celebrations as hotels and cultural groups have started their festive programmes.
While most hotels are organising dandiya nites with various contests from this Sunday, pandals by local Puja samitis (organisations) are in the final stages of completion.
Nayapalli will house a replica of the Nadia Nabadwip temple, while Baramunda pandal is being made with compact discs. Similarly, Rasulgarh will see a unique pandal with a collage of mosaic and marble.
“Our pandal will be ready in another two days. Like every year, we have brought artisans from Calcutta to design the pandal. Our members of the Nayapalli Durga Puja Samiti select the designs from Internet, and we give the final layout to the artisans, who then work on the pandal for a fortnight,” said samiti president Pabitra Mohan Behera.
In Sambalpur and Balangir, the Samaleswari temples are witnessing a huge rush, while in Berhampur the large pandals are almost ready and the city has already been decorated with networks of colourful lighting.
“Maa Samalei, the chief deity of the Samaleswari, was decorated in her bhabala besa when she was dressed in white as well as the deity’s face was painted white. Every day there will be a new decoration of the Goddess till Dussehra,” said chief priest of the Samaleswari temple Ambika Prasad Ray.
