Nine-Day Ritual Worship Begins at Mangala Temple
Kakatpur (Tushar Ranjan Dixit), 15/10/23 – The Sharadiya Parban Puja is being observed with deep devotion and dedication at the revered Maa Mangala Temple in Kakatpur, Puri district. Since Maa Mangala is considered one of the eight forms of Goddess Chandi in Odisha, a large number of devotees visit the temple daily to offer their prayers.
The Sharadiya Parban Puja, also known as the Shola Puja, began on the auspicious day of Aswina Krishna Ashtami with the sacred ritual of Sahasrakumbhabhishek, where the goddess is bathed with a thousand pots of holy water. At the temple’s main hall, priest Suresh Chandra Tripathy performs daily recitations of the Saptasati Chandi scriptures. As per tradition, offerings prepared for the deity include ritual non-vegetarian dishes known as amisha bhoga.
From today, the nine-day special worship of Maa Mangala has officially commenced. Devotees are paying their respects at the goddess’s divine feet as she is beautifully adorned in the traditional Nali Kali Besha. According to temple priest Kamal Lochan Dixit, the goddess will be decorated in different traditional attires every evening until Mahanavami. Today, she is adorned in the Nali Kali Besha, on the 16th she will be dressed in the Kala Kali Besha, and on the 17th she will again appear in the Nali Kali Besha during the day and Kala Kali Besha at night. On the 18th, she will be presented in the Tira Kaman or Raghunath Besha, on the 19th in the Kati Kharpara or Katyayani Besha with Tira Kaman. On the 20th, she will appear in the renowned Simha Bahini Besha, and on the 21st in the Mahisha Mardini Besha, depicting the slaying of the demon Mahishasura.
Priest Tushar Ranjan Dixit has informed that the festival will conclude on the 24th of October with the grand Dashahara celebration and the Har Durga Bheta Utsav, marking the ceremonial meeting of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga, thereby bringing the Sharadiya Parban Puja of Maa Mangala to an end.
