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Puri/Bhubaneswar: Specials prayers were offered and rituals held at different temples across the State as thousands of devotees thronged temples to offer ‘shradha’ (homage) to their forefathers on the occasion of Mahalaya today.
Heavy footfalls were seen at Shri Jagannath temple in Puri as devotees gathered at the “Baishipahacha” (22-stairs of the temple) since morning for ‘tila tarpan’ and ‘pind daan’ to their forefathers.
Similarly, the Bindusagar Lake in Bhubaneswar also saw a heavy rush with people thronging the water tank to offer special puja on Mahalaya.
#WATCH: Devotees offer 'shradha' to their forefathers at Bindusagar Lake #Bhubaneswar on the auspicious occasion of #Mahalaya today #Odisha pic.twitter.com/rYvEl9eFGu
— OTV (@otvnews) October 8, 2018
It is believed that those who cannot offer homage to their forefathers on the appropriate days prefer this day to pay their obeisance. It is also believed that forefathers come very close to the earth on this day and receive the offerings.
Similarly, in western Odisha, devotees in serpentine queues were seen waiting to witness the 'Dhavalamukhi Besha' (white costume) of goddess Samaleswari on the day.
#WATCH: Devotees throng Samaleswari Temple in #Sambalpur to witness the ‘Dhavalamukhi Besha’ (white costume) of the goddess on #Mahalaya #Odisha #DurgaPuja2018 pic.twitter.com/rHUbTBPEFm
— OTV (@otvnews) October 8, 2018
Authorities of the Samaleswari Temple have made elaborate arrangements to ensure hassle-free darshan at the temple.
The auspicious Mahalaya also marks the beginning of Durga Puja as the day is considered the end of 'Pitra Paksha' and beginning of 'Devi Paksha'. It is believed that Goddess Durga was invoked on this day by gods to defeat demon Mahishasura and destroy all evil powers from the earth.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram and former MP Baijayant Panda greeted the people on the occasion of Mahalaya.
ପବିତ୍ର ମହାଳୟା ଉପଲକ୍ଷେ ରାଜ୍ୟବାସୀଙ୍କୁ ମୋର ହାର୍ଦ୍ଦିକ ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା ଓ ଶୁଭକାମନା।
May #GoddessDurga bless you and your family with peace, happiness, prosperity and good health on auspicious #Mahalaya pic.twitter.com/yY4PQ47XLS
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) October 8, 2018
My greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of #মহালয়া and start of #DurgaPuja.
May you all have the blessings on Maa!#Mahalaya pic.twitter.com/DKSfRPKV3P
— Jual Oram (@jualoram) October 8, 2018
#ShubhaMahalaya to all from @PandaJay. An auspicious day, #Mahalaya is the celebration of the Devi's arrival on earth to annihilate all that is vicious & sinister.
we convey our greetings to all those who're celebrating and wish for a prosperous festive season going ahead. ? pic.twitter.com/b1qfjeDNYg— Office of Jay Panda (@mp_office) October 8, 2018
