Puri/Bhubaneswar: Thousands of devotees on Monday thronged Sri Jagannath temple here to offer ‘shradha’ (homage) to their forefathers on the legendary “Baishipahacha” (22-stairs of the temple) on the occasion of Mahalaya.
Similarly, heavy footfalls were also witnessed at Biraja temple in Jajpur and Bindu sagar at Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar for the auspicious ritual.
Those who cannot offer homage to their forefathers on the appropriate days prefer this day to pay their obeisance.
It is believed that the forefathers come very close to the earth on this day and receive the offerings.
Similarly, in western Odisha, devotees were seen waiting in long queues to witness the “Dhavalamukhi Vesa” of goddess Samaleswari on the day as it is believed that a darshan of the deity on the day would bring riches equivalent to that of having a bath in river Ganga.