Cuttack: The Durga puja festival has started in Cuttack with ‘Bilwadibasa’- invocation of the Goddess. The festivities that began Friday will end with the ‘Aparajita puja’ on the occasion of ‘Bijaya Dashami’ Tuesday.
As per orders of the district administration, the immersion of idols of Goddess Durga will take place Wednesday, officials said.
The Binod Behary Puja Committee of the city, which determines the timings of different rituals during the festival, has fixed ‘Netra Utsav’ Saturday afternoon and ‘Sandhi Puja’ Sunday evening. The ‘Tareni Puja’ will be held Monday afternoon.
Along with these important rituals, ‘Guru Puja’, ‘Surya Puja’ and ‘Dwarapala Puja’ will be held on all days of Durga Puja during the morning hours.
This year, at least 170 pandals have come up in the city to celebrate the festival, the officials said.
Like every year, the pandals have been decorated with colourful lights and welcome arches.
In order to attract revellers, cultural programmes will be organised at various pandals, on all days of the festival.
Maintaining Cuttack’s age-old tradition of having sparkling white ‘chalachitras’ (idol’s backdrop), made of silver, three new pandals of the city have joined the bandwagon this year.
One community puja organised by the Bidanasi Puja Committee has used more than 190 kilogram silver worth Rs 1 crore to make the ‘chalachitra’, while the Chhatra Bazaar Committee has used 250 kilogram silver worth Rs 2 crore to make a ‘chalachitra’.
After the Durga Puja festival is over the organisers of the community pujas will gear up for Gajalaxmi Puja and Shyama Kali Puja.
(PTI)