Puri: Mother Goddess Bimala, the presiding deity of Srikshetra, is being invoked in the Holy Town as part of the Mahastami Puja rituals on Tuesday.
As per tradition, animal sacrifice is a formal ritual at the shrine of Devi Bimala whose representative deity Maa Kakudikhai accepts cucumber sacrifice as a substitute symbolically. While priests at puja pandals across the Holy Town are invoking the Mother Goddess with Mahasaptami rituals, the priests at the eight traditional Shakti shrines in the Holy City are offering Mahastami rituals.
In view of COVID restrictions, the response of the devotees at the pandals is lukewarm, but the rituals as per tradition are being observed with utmost sanctity in the town. Devi Kakudikhai is offered fish for three days from Monday night. While animal sacrifice is a tradition on this occasion, women devotees are not allowed into the shrines. Devi at Ramachandi Bankimuhan temple is decorated as Mahishamardhini on this occasion.
According to Kalia Pratihari, a devotee, Mahastami rituals are being offered at Panapriya Thakurani of Baselil street, Jahnikhai of Gaurabada street, Mahateswari Thakurani of Harachandi street and Thakurani at Manikarnika street, but the devotees do not have access to the pandals.
Puja pandals in the town have been covered with screens to ensure that devotees do not crowd the street corner Mandaps as per standard operating procedure in force due to the prevailling pandemic situation.
