Devotees throng Samaleswari to witness special ritual

Sambalpur; Thousands of devotees gathered at Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur town to have a glimpse of ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ (white attire) ritual of the deity on the occasion of the Mahalaya on Sunday. The Goddess Samaleswari remains in red costume round the year except on Mahalaya, the day on which people make “Pind daan” to their forefathers.

Keeping in view the large congregation on the day, the doors of the temple were opened for the devotees at 5 am. Devotees from across the district and neighbouring areas made a beeline for the temple from the wee hours to witness the Dhabalamukhi Besha of the goddess.

“On the day of Mahalaya, the goddess adorns ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’, also referred to as ‘Ganga Darshan’. It takes more than six hours to adorn the deity in a white incarnation. Goddess Samaleswari will remain in ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ till Tuesday afternoon,” said Samaleswari Temple Trust Board president Sanjaya Babu.

He said elaborate arrangements have been made by the temple authority for the devotees coming from across western Odisha and the neighbouring States. Similarly, adequate police arrangements have also been made for the peaceful ‘darshan’ of the deity, he added. After the Mahalaya, from Monday, Navaratra Puja begins and continues for nine days in the Samaleswari temple.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of Mahalaya and prayed for the blessings of Maa Durga.

Meanwhile, thousands of devotees congregated at Shree Jagannath temple in Puri and Maa Biraja temple in Jajpur to perform Pind daan and Shraddha rituals to ensure peace and salvation for the departed souls, on the last day of Pitru Paksha. On this occasion, people offer ‘pindas’ made of flour, rice and Mahaprasad to their forefathers as part of the sacred rites.