Following the ‘Dharabatarana’ (arrival on earth) of Maa Durga on the occasion of ‘Sasthi’, 'Prana Prathistha’ ritual of the Goddess was performed at various pandals in the twin cities of Cuttack & Bhubaneswar on the occasion of ‘Maha Saptami’ on Saturday.
“Maha Saptami’ puja was performed with all the traditional rituals at several mandaps of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. The mandaps were vibrant with the chant of mantras. Durga Puja celebrations gathered steam today with people dressed in colourful clothes thronging the pandals to get a glimpse of the Goddess.
Early start of Maha Saptami rituals
In the Millenium City, rituals of Maha Saptami started early in the morning. The Goddess was offered a bath in the morning with holy water brought from different rivers in the State. Following the holy ritual, ‘Marjana’, ‘Naba Patrika’, ‘Chakhyudana’ and ‘Prana Pratishta’ rituals of the Goddess was performed. Subsequently, ‘Chandipatha’ was performed. Hundreds of devotees made a beeline to have the darshan of Goddess Durga on the special occasion.
“The first ritual of Maha Saptami is Chakhyudana. Subsequently, Goddess Durga is worshipped in ‘Sodasha Upachara’. Maha Snana is the main part of 'Sodasha Upachara’. With 64 kinds of herbs and water, Goddess Durga takes a bath,” said the priest of Haripur Dolamundai Puja mandap in Cuttack.
“The weight of the silver used in the medha of our puja mandap is 3.5 quintals. Goddess Durga and other Gods and Goddess in our mandap have been adorned with 7.5 kg of gold ornaments,” said Sheikh Bazar puja committee Secretary, Kishore Behera.
Footfalls rise in Bhubaneswar pandals
Maha Saptami puja of the Goddess was also performed with all the traditional rituals and religious fervor in Bhubaneswar. As the weather was pleasant, a large number of devotees thronged the puja mandaps to participate in the puja revelry.
Almost all puja pandals in the city witnessed huge crowd. Special lighting arrangements, modern technology-based illumination and impressive theme-based gates created a surreal atmosphere in the city. Puja revellers soaked in the festive mood and all the food stalls and meena bazars were chock-a-block.
Like the gold and silver medhas in Cuttack, various mandaps in Bhubaneswar have experimented with impressive gates. Attractive gates of Rasulgarh, Jharpada, Bomikhal, Station Bazar, Saheed Nagar and Nayapalli puja mandaps are the major crowd-pullers.
Security arrangements in place
Considering the huge rush, some leading mandaps in Bhubaneswar have made their own special security arrangements. To avoid theft, snatching and other law and order situations, the entry, exit and parking places of the mandaps have been kept under CCTV camera surveillance. In some of the mandaps, women volunteers have been deployed to help women devotees have smooth darshan of the Goddess.
“Maa Durga descends on the earth once a year. We all are enjoying the puja. Let the Goddess bless everyone,” said Karubaki Jena, a resident of Bhubaneswar.
“Keeping the mandaps under CCTV surveillance is a very good step for the safety and security of the devotees. Deploying women volunteers will also go a long way in helping the women devotees,” she added.
“We have installed as many as 26 CCTV cameras near our mandap. Around 30 women volunteers have been deployed under ‘Maa Bahini’ for the first time to provide safety and security to the women devotees at the mandap,” said Chitrasen Behera, Secretary of Nayapalli puja mandap.
Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prateek Singh has shared special tips for people on how to be careful while being part of the puja revelry.
“If you are visiting any nearby puja mandaps, use either public transport or two-wheelers. Park your vehicles at the right place and use double locks in your two-wheelers. Don’t leave any valuable stuff inside your vehicle,” said Singh.