Avinash Sahu
There isn’t much time left for Dhenkanal’s legendary Laxmi Puja, which will begin on Sunday and continue till October 24. The city wears a festive look with brightly illuminated streets and decorated markets.
Frenetic preparations are on in all the pandals to welcome lakhs of devotees with nearly 500 artisans and masons working round-the-clock to make the pandals as people-friendly as possible. Adequate law and order and fire arrangements have also been made to safeguard people and property.
Significance of the puja
The puja is observed for 11 days beginning from Kumara Purnima or full moon day. It is observed to please Goddess Laxmi, who fulfills the desires of devotees by endowing them with abundant wealth. Mythology has it that she was the one who brought back all the wealth lost by Indra. She is also known as the Goddess of Cattle.
Rituals
Devotees, especially unmarried women observe a fast on this day and break it by offering prasad to the moon. The rituals also differ from place to place.
The puja is a major attraction in Dhenkanal. It brings lots of joy and memories to each and every inhabitant of Dhenkanal. Every household prepares well in advance to welcome guests. Special Odia dishes like Kakara pitha, Manda pitha, Chitau and many more are cooked and served.
Today, the puja has become an identity for the city. Every puja committee puts its best foot forward to make its pandal attractive and beautiful.
At the end of the 11 days of puja, a street carnival like atmosphere begins in Dhenkanal to observe the immersion rituals with each procession looking more colourful and attractive than the other. This is also the time to showcase local culture in the form of animal mask dance, tribal dance and Chhau dance etc.
What makes the Dhenkanal puja special
The history of Laxmi Puja celebrations in Dhenkanal goes back to 1923 when late Brajakishore Pattnaik, Natabar Debata, Gatikrushna Pattnaik and a few others started it at Kunja Sahoo Chak, which is known as Ganesh Bazaar today.
There were some hurdles in organising it in the following years till 1943, when Natabar Debata, a prominent businessman, Sanatan Sahoo and a few others started the puja again at Majhigarh, known as Meena Bazaar today. Thus, Debata is regarded as the founder of today’s Laxmi Puja and Meena Bazaar as the Maudamani Puja Pratisthan
His legacy continues till today, giving Dhenkanal a distinct identity. As time passed by, others followed suit and the number of pandals multiplied. Today, the count exceeds 40. Together, it is called Ganaparba or Festival of the People of Dhenkanal.
Then and now
The pandals that rested on bamboos and were decorated with leaves and lit with Petronax lamps have given way to grand structures with colourful and decorative lights. The Medhas made out of thermocol and colour paper are now ornate and magnificent made out of silver or gold.
How cultural programmes got associated with puja
In the earlier days, people from far off places used to travel on bullock carts for the puja. They would spend their nights in the pandals itself out of fear of wild animals. This is when late Natabar Debata hit upon the idea of starting Pala, Daskathia and Rasleela in the pandal area to entertain the devotees. Over the years, it became a tradition with other puja committees presenting local entertainment dances like Gotipua and Odissi, which also encouraged the local artistes. This in turn led to a gradual increase in the number of devotees. From thousands, today, the number has swelled to lakhs.
Every year, more than 25 lakh devotees visit the pandals in Dhenkanal just to catch a glimpse of the Goddess of Wealth.
