Festivities On In Full Swing; Know History & Legends Associated With Durga Puja In Odisha

Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: It’s that time of the year.

Durga Puja revelry has begun in Odisha, with people coming hitting the streets to visit the sparkingly decorated Puja pandals in Twin cities.

The five days of festivities — observed as Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Vijayadashami — started on October 9 and will culminate on October 13, when Dussehra will also be celebrated.

According to Markandeya Purana, the right time for invoking the Goddess is the spring season in the lunar month Chaitra. However, it is not much celebrated in Odisha and its neighbouring states. Instead Sharadiya Durga Puja is celebrated in Sharata Rutu (autumn season) in lunar month Aswina. Lord Rama was responsible for shifting goddess worship to autumn since he invoked Her before invasion of Lanka, according to the Krutibasa Ramayana.

Markandeya Purana further says that the King of Chaitra/Chedi dynasty Raja Suratha started rituals of Durga Puja during 300 BC. The Chaitra dynasty belongs to Kalinga (modern Odisha).

The present form of worshipping earthen idols of the Goddess was started during the reign of Ganga King Chodaganga Dev in the 11th century at Puri. Co-worship of Mahishamarddini Durga with Madhava (Lord Jagannath) is prevalent since the 11th century, the Eastern Ganga dynasty period, in Puri. It is also said that in the year 1512 CE, Shri Chaitanya started worship of Durga as community worship in Binod Bihari temple at Cuttack.  The area is now known as Balu Bazaar.

The Silver City of Cuttack is famous for its extravagance and the magnitude of stunning filigree work and ‘chandi medha’ or the silver tableau used for decorating Goddess Durga and her temporary abode. Several Puja committees put up chandi medha, while some others use gold ornaments to decorate Goddess Durga.

The festival is also celebrated in a grand way at the Kataka Chandi temple.

To ensure environment-friendly Durga Puja celebration in the Odisha capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released a set of guidelines.

Like every year, the Commissionerate Police has imposed one-way traffic system to ease traffic congestion and smooth movement for pandal hoppers.