Badasahi: The annual puja of Maa Hingula was conducted with fervour at the deity’s altar in the Sal forest on Suhagpura-Chanddiha road under Badasahi block in Mayurbhanj district Saturday.
Lakhs of devotees from various parts of the district as well as from neighbouring districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and states like Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal came down to witness the festivities. Temple sources said about six lakh devotees offered puja to the deity this year.
The district administration and the Hingula Trust made ample arrangements to facilitate the smooth movement of devotees and viewing of the deity of Maa Hingula.
After rituals like ‘Pahad’ and ‘Mangal Aalati’, the temple’s doors remained open for devotees.
Traffic arrangements were done keeping in view the number of vehicles coming to the venue. Two and four wheelers had been stopped at Chanddiha and Suhagpur Square here.
A serpentine queue of buses, cars and bikes was seen on Betnoti-Baisinga-Dukura route that connects to the shrine. Besides offering ‘prasad’, devotees offered money and gold and silver ornaments to the deity. Though animal sacrifice is banned, some people still went ahead with the practice.
Two inspectors, five sub-inspectors, 15 ASIs, five havildars, five platoons of police force and home guards were deployed at the site while Betnoti SDPO Govind Chandra Sethy and Badasahi OIC Jayanarayan Khandai monitored the situation.
The District Public Relations Office and Badasahi Community Health Centre opened first aid camps. The use of plastic articles including polythene bags was strictly banned on the temple premises.
Head of the trust which runs the temple, Sunil Das, thanked everyone for their cooperation in making the annual ritual a grand success.
PNN
