Prganisers of a Puja committee in Rourkela replicate the Kalinga Stadium to promote the Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar in November. PicturesnUttam Kumar Pal

Innovative themes greeted devotees at pandals here as Durga Puja celebrations kicked off on Tuesday.

Large idols of goddess Durga have been set up at with beautifully decorated pandals across the city. The light arrangements, however, add a colourful ambience and make the atmosphere festive.

All the Puja committees have left no stone unturned to ensure that devotees get hassle-free darshan of the deities. Over 160 Puja pandals have been set up here.

The pandal of the Old Station Bazaar Puja Committee showcases ‘Nabagunjar Besha (attire)’ of Lord Jagannath. Puja revellers, who stay outside Bhubaneswar and are eager to have a glimpse of it, can catch the Old Station Bazar Puja through live streaming. They have to download an app — ‘gCMOB’ — to see the livestreaming.

At Bomikhal, the 80ft high pandal has been designed on lines of London’s Royal Law Courts and decorated with supari (betel nut).

The Saheed Nagar Puja pandal is a replica of Rajasthan’s Chittor Fort, while the Nayapalli Durga Puja Samiti has replicated Italy’s Altare della Patria.

Pandalhopper Shubham Nayak, a businessman, said: “It is a once in a year experience and is worth it.”

In Cuttack, pandals with beautiful arches, filigree backdrops and crowns made of gold and silver are drawing thousands of devotees.

On Monday, Saptami was observed at the traditional shakti peethas, including the Chandi temple in Cuttack, Biraja temple in Jajpur, Charchika temple in Banki, Bhagabati temple in Banpur and the Manikeswari temple at Kalahandi’s Bhawanipatna.