Dhenkanal: Dhenkanal town which is known for its famous Gajalaxmi Puja has been beautifully decorated to welcome the Goddess of Wealth as the puja kicked started from today.
The puja which began from 10 AM will continue at least three days even though the celebration will last for 11 days.
As many as 40 Puja pandals have been erected in the town this year.
These pandals have come up in a row from Korian bypass to College Chhack, a stretch of five kms. Light decorations and theme-based pandals are the highlights of this year’s Puja for which the organisers have spent lakhs of rupees for the 11-day festival. This year, the focus of the organisers is on mythology as far as the themes of pandals are concerned.
The district administration had held a preparatory meeting with the puja committees for smooth conduct of the festival. Adequate security arrangements have been made to ward off any untoward incident during the festival, police sources said.
Similarly, industrial town Angul, Rourkela and Kendrapara have also come up with attractive pandals for the worship of Goddess Laxmi.
Similarly, the unmarried girls celebrated the day as Kumar Purnima. The festival is dedicated to Kumar or Kartik, the first son of Lord Shiva. Young woman offer special pujas and observe rituals on the day, which are mainly dedicated to Lord Surya and Lord Chandra. The festival is also famous for night long community games like puchi. The girls wear new clothes and sarees and spend the entire night with much fanfare.
It is believed that unmarried would get handsome husband like Kartikeya is she observes this puja.