Jharsuguda: On Ashtami (8th) day of Durga Puja, worship of traditional weapons is performed mostly in Devi shrines which are patronised by the royal families. One such shrine is Samaleswari temple at Rajpur in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district.
As per the practice, Rajpurohit (royal or main priest) of the temple performed puja of Goddesses Durga, Kali, Mahamayi, Dakhina Kali, Bauti, Khambeswari, Batu Mangala, Batu Bhairabi and Banjari Devi on Sapatami (7th night). Yajna was performed amid chanting of Chandi Patha (hymns of Devi) and participation of the devotees.
On the morning of Ashtami on Sunday, the swords that were used during warfare and have been preserved by the descendants of the royal family or zamindars were worshipped in the village temple. This puja is called ‘Khandapuja’.
Late Sunday night, the members of present zamindar family carried the swords holding ‘mashal’ (torch) to Basundhara river and the priest performed some secret rituals on the river banks. The swords were brought back to Samaleswari temple in similar procession and again worshipped with secret rituals as per Tantrik procedures.
The devotees were not allowed to participate in the procession while the puja of swords with yajna and sacrifices continued till early morning. However, they can attend the puja on the days of Navami and Dasami and completion of Navratri on Tuesday.
