Bhuban: It is that time of the year when the annual ‘bullock fair’, a major attraction in this town of Dhenkanal district, is organised and people are waiting with bated breath.
The ‘bullock fair’, will be conducted Tuesday and this town has been decorated with colourful lights, gates and festoons. Most of the houses have received a fresh coat of paint and those who work away have arrived back.
This year 37 bullocks are going to take part in the fair. They have been trained for more than a month to get them acquainted to sounds of crackers, drums and noise created by huge crowds.
The fair will be inaugurated Tuesday by the Thoria community to mark the occasion of Dussehra.
Since 1947 the tradition of kick-starting Dussehra with the ‘bullock march’ has been observed. The bullocks along with a huge crowd will march to the Jagannath Temple here.
The bullocks will be decorated with bells, colourful clothes and ribbons. People wait for hours to get a glimpse of the animals. And when some bullocks panic due to the bursting of crackers and sound of drums it usually adds amusement to the revellers.
The bullocks are taken to a ground called ‘Bada Hata’ and then are worshipped there. The day-long fair comes to an end with the Thoria and Goldsmith communities performing a ritual called ‘Luna Mapa’.
Durga Puja is being conducted in this township since India’s independence in 1947. This year 11 community pujas have been organised. The idols will be immersed Wednesday and ‘Ravan Podi’ utsav will be conducted near Pala Mandap.
All the tableaus would assemble at Nuabazaar ground and after a special puja at the shrine of Banijari, the sitting deity of Bhuban, the tableaus would proceed for immersion. Puja committees and youth associations have been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the law and order situation.
PNN
