Puri: Scores of devotees congregated at Chandrabhaga beach near Konark in Odisha’s Puri district and took a ritual bath in the holy pond on the auspicious day of Magha Saptami on Friday.
While Chandrabhaga river has almost become extinct, a portion of its bed is dug up and converted into a pond for the holy dip on the seventh day of the first half of the ‘Magha’ month. Worshipping of Mahadev makes celebrations of this ‘Magha Mela’ unique.
At midnight, Tribeniswar, Dakshineswar and Ishaneswar from three different villages were brought in a procession to the Chandrabhaga mela site and offered prasad. Following which the pilgrims feasted on ‘sukhua’ (dried fish) curry and rice which were cooked in earthen pots. While the food is savoured on banana leaves and the cooking pots are broken and thrown into the pond as per tradition before taking a dip in the river. It is believed that all broken pieces of pots disappear from the pond.
After the holy dip, the pilgrims offer prayers at Nabagraha temple on the Sun Temple premises.
It is believed that the holy dip cures people of skin diseases and wash away their sins. Legends have it that Lord Krishna’s son Shamba was cured of leprosy when he meditated and worshipped the Sun God at ‘Arka kshetra’ for 12 days after a holy dip at the Chandrabhaga river, which once flowed through the precincts of the Sun Temple at Konark towards the Bay of Bengal.
