Devotees Gather to Seek Goddess Durga’s Blessings on Vijaya Dashami
Astarang (25/10): The triumph of righteousness over evil, and truth over falsehood — that’s what Vijaya Dashami, also known as Dussehra, signifies. It marks the victory of Goddess Durga, the destroyer of evil. From villages to towns, worship of the ten-armed Goddess Durga takes place with great devotion. On the sacred occasion of Vijaya Dashami, grand rituals and puja ceremonies were held at temples and pandals. In her Mahishasuramardini form, Goddess Durga gave divine darshan (appearance) to devotees. Along with the morning rituals, traditional “Nitikanti” and “Aparajita Puja” were also performed.
Thousands of devotees thronged the Durga Mandaps of Astarang and Naiguan to seek blessings and prosperity through the darshan of the Goddess. On the day of Navami Puja, Odisha’s Home Minister, Engineer Tusharkanti Behera, visited both Astarang and Naiguan mandaps for Goddess Durga’s darshan. He was accompanied by former Sarpanch Bhimasen Swain, Biju Yuva Janata Dal President Prashanta Nayak (Butu), Champak Barik, and Rudraprasad Lenka.
On Vijaya Dashami, the Astarang Durga Club organized a “Got Talent Show” featuring local talents. The event’s chief guests included Bharat Masala MD Sushant Panda, retired Excise Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Satapathy, retired Astarang College Principal Upendra Kumar Bishwal, and social worker Arun Kumar Bishwal, all of whom were present during the cultural program.
Late at night, on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, top officials including Puri District Additional SP Bishnuprasad Pati, Konark IIC Panchanan Parida, Kakatpur IIC Umesh Chandra Sahu, and Astarang IIC Rajesh Baliyarsingh visited the Astarang Durga Mandap for darshan and to receive blessings from the Goddess.
Considering the large crowd on Dussehra, the Astarang administration, under the supervision of the local police officials, deployed police personnel at major intersections and crowded areas to ensure public safety and maintain order.
