Magha Saptami: Pilgrims Gather At Odisha’s Chandrabhaga For Holy Dip; Know Its Significance

Puri: The district administration has made elaborate arrangement at Chandrabhaga beach near Konark in Odisha’s Puri for Magha Saptami on Tuesday.

Lakhs of devotees are expected to gather on the shores of Chandrabhaga beach and take holy dip at 4.37 am, offering prayers to the Sun God on the auspicious occasion.

According to sources, around 33 platoons of police force will be deployed to ensure conduct of the event. Six Additional Superintendent of Police, 13 Deputy SP, 39 Inspectors have been assigned the responsibility to maintain the law and order. Twenty lifeguards will also be deployed near the beach to prevent any untoward incident, said a senior police officer.

Five temporary health service camps have been set up and two ambulances have been kept at standby. Two fire engines have also deployed at the fair ground and three generators installed for uninterrupted power supply.

Sources further stated that representative idols of Triveniswar of Madhipur village, Tshaneswar of Santpur village, and Dakhineswar of Kurujang village will be taken out on palanquins in a procession at 9.45 pm on Monday and worshipped at Konark NAC Mandap, Tehsil Office, East Division Post Office Complex.

Following which, those will be taken Chandrabhaga Teerth Mandap at around 4 am, where traditional rituals will be performed. 

The pilgrims are allowed to take a dip after the bathing ceremony of the three deities. They will then offer prayers at Nabagraha temple on the Sun Temple premises, where entry has been made free for two days till Tuesday. The worshipping of the Mahadev makes celebrations of this ‘Magha Mela’ unique.

Significance

On the seventh day of the first half of the ‘Magha’ month, pilgrims take the dip with the age-old belief that a bath in the pond would cleanse them 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 for 12 years 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.

Another interesting ritual includes the offering of cooked rice and dried fish (shukhua) dalma to mythological demon Arkasura in whose name the place has been named Arka Kshetra. While the food is savoured on banana leaves and the cooking pots are broken and thrown into the pond as per tradition. It is believed that all broken pieces of pots disappear from the pond.

Traffic restrictions

The administration has also imposed restrictions on vehicular movement from noon on February 3 to 8 am on February 4.