Patuas’ Dance and Kalika Dance on the Third Procession Day of Maa Mangala
Kakatpur, 01/04/2025 (Tushar Dixit): Today was the third Tuesday of the Chaitra month. As per traditional customs, the third procession of the presiding deity Maa Mangala was held at the Kakatpur temple. After the temple doors opened at 3 AM, rituals such as Mangala Arati, inner purification, bathing, dressing, and sandalwood application were conducted, followed by the Surya Puja (Sun worship) and Ballava Niti.
After Ballava Niti, morning incense rituals (dhupa), Bandapana Arati were performed, and the temple premises were opened for public darshan. Thousands of devotees from different regions queued within barricades to enter the temple and have a glimpse of Maa Mangala, who was adorned in a sandalwood attire.
Married women worshipped the Panthi (sacred pillar) surrounding the temple, praying for the well-being of their husbands and children. Around 2 PM, the Raula Sevaks from Jagatsinghpur and the local Bhoi Sevaks collected water from the Ghantatola Ghat of the Prachi River and returned to the temple in a grand procession.
In front of the temple and its courtyard, the Patua dance was performed. Later in the night, after the Bhramani Niti and offering of Bhog, the Jainik Khamarei Sevak dressed himself in the form of Goddess Kali and went before Maa Mangala. There, he was presented with the divine garland and sword of the goddess. He then performed the Kalika Dance in the temple premises and the Sevak Sahi lane—an age-old, unique tradition of Maa Mangala’s temple.
To manage the third procession, extensive security arrangements were made under the supervision of Temple Trustee and Tahasildar Ankita Anindita, Executive Officer Kailash Chandra Das, and Kakatpur Police Station IIC Umesh Chandra Sahu. A grand fair was set up from the main gate to the temple premises.
Today, Kakatpur Bazaar and surrounding areas were heavily crowded. Despite the scorching heat and bustling crowd, devotees continued visiting the temple to have darshan of the Goddess till late at night, when the Kalika Dance took place.
