Grand Farewell To Goddess Durga In Bhubaneswar [In Pics]

Bhubaneswar: As the five-day festivities drew to a close, Bhubaneswar on Thursday bade a grand and emotional farewell to Goddess Durga. Vibrant processions filled the streets with traditional music, folk artistes and puja revellers as idols converged at Saheed Nagar for the grand ‘melana’.

The Commissionerate Police had enforced traffic restrictions across several key roads in the city from 2 pm for Bhasani Jatra to facilitate the smooth immersion of Goddess Durga idols.

Around 24 tableaux, including those from Palasuni, Bomikhal, Jharpada, Cuttack Road and Old Station Bazaar, joined the procession under Saheed Nagar Bhasani Samiti, proceeding via Rajmahal Chhak, Ram Mandir Chhak and Master Canteen Chhak. The Nayapalli procession of around 18 to 20 puja committees moved through Soor Company Chhak,  Nayapalli Underpass, CRP Chhak and DAV Chhak before turning right towards Gopabandhu Chhak and Siripur Chhak.

For the Chandrasekharpur route, idols assembled at Damana Chhak and proceeded through Nalco Chhak.

Six immersion sites with temporary ponds were designated to support orderly visarjan rituals. These include two locations near the Kuakhai river (one on the Palasuni side and one on the Hanspal side), a site near the Daya river at Lingipur on Puri Road, another near the Kuakhai at Basuaghai on Tankapani Road, a spot near Centurion University close to the KITS campus on the Jatani side, a temporary site set up by Chandaka Gram Panchayat near NIT, and facilities along the Kusabhadra river plus other temporary locations under Balipatna police limits, including a pond at Ramchandrapur near the canal under Bhingarpur gram panchayat.

A total of 48 platoons of police personnel along with around 100 officers were deployed across the state capital to maintain law and order and manage crowds.

Glimpses from Bhasani Jatra:

Picture credit: Pravat Mohanty