Bhubaneswar: Auspicious nine-day long Navratri festival kicks off across the State on Sunday with special rituals have been initiated at several Shakti shrines including Cuttack Chandi temple and Maa Biraja in Jajpur.
This year, the Navratri festivities span nine days starting from October 15 to October 23, with each day dedicated to one of the nine forms of Maa Durga, known as Navdurgas. The celebration commences with Ghatasthapana and concludes with Maha Navami.
In Cuttack, a large number of devotees have started visiting Chandi Temple for paying obeisance to the goddess on the commencement of the ‘Sodasa Upachara Puja’ (16 types of puja) till Dussehra.
As per tradition, Devi appears in 16 ‘besha’ (incarnations) on different days till the culmination in Durga or Kali incarnation of the Goddess. The deities in the shrines adorn different attires as per the incarnation on these nine days. Besides the clothes, jewellery including the crown and particularly the face of the deity keep changing as per the ‘besha’ on the particular day.
The temple has been decorated with flowers, festoons and colourful papers on the occasion. Hundreds of devotees from Cuttack turned up at the temple to offer puja as Chandi is considered as the presiding deity of the city.
The devotees also thronged Chandi temple and Gadachandi temple in the Silver City today. On the first day, the Goddess appeared in ‘Suna Besha’ (golden attire).
‘Sodasa Upachar puja’ holds significance for the devotees. It is believed that if anybody has darshan of Devi in this incarnation and wishes for anything, it is fulfilled. Due to this belief, the shrine is thronged by a large number of devotees on the day, said a priest.
A nine-day long car festival of Goddess Biraja began in Jajpur on Sunday with the presiding deity of the temple being taken on a tour in a beautifully decorated chariot. This amazing festival attracts devotees, spectators, pilgrims from across the nation.
During the festival, the Chariot of Goddess Biraja moves around the temple compound continuously for nine-days. The idol is known as ‘Chalanti Pratima’.
Special rituals were started at Ghantasuni Temple in Bolangir’s Titlagarh. The goddess was decked in Maa Sailputri besha on the first day of Navratri today.
From early morning on every day of Navratri, the Goddess is given a bath with sacred water brought from river Baitarani. It is followed by performing the rituals with chanting of shlokas (hymns) and yajna.
Meanwhile, several organizations have made arrangements for Dandiya in Bhubaneswar city. City denizens, especially youngsters, throng Dandiya venues in colorful traditional attire and dandiya sticks and grooves to peppy dance numbers.
