Rain fails to dampen Dussehra revelry in city

Bhubaneswar: Dussehra or Vijayadashami was celebrated with religious fervour and splendour across the state capital on Saturday.

Rains failed to dampen Dussehra’s revelry as thousands of devotees and visitors thronged various puja mandaps, including Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Baramunda, Unit-4, Old Station Bazaar, Rasulgarh and Bhouma Nagar, since early morning to offer special puja to the Goddess.

This year, 173 pandals have been erected in Bhubaneswar and 160 in Cuttack.

The nine-day festivities will culminate when the burning of the huge and gigantic effigies of demon king Ravana, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Different puja committees, including Saheed Nagar, have made elaborate
arrangements for the ‘Ravana Podi’ this evening.

Like every year, members of Sarbajanina Durga Puja Committee of Old AG Colony in Unit-4 will be organising ‘Sindur Khela’, where married women smear Sindur on Devi’s forehead for one last time before she leaves for her heavenly abode. The ritual is a Bengali tradition.

In a tweet, Chief minister Naveen Patnaik wished for peace, prosperity and progress of the people of Odisha on the occasion of Vijayadashami.