Simulia: Andarai village lies tucked amid palm trees, bamboo bushes, mango orchards and vast expanse of farmlands in Simulia block of Balasore. The non-descript village’s speciality is it has retained its 15-year-old tradition of performing Durga puja. The village is 15km from the block headquarters.
The village is now immersed in festive gaiety and fervour due to Sharadiya Durga Puja. Villagers have decorated the mandap on a raised platform in the middle of the village. However, no committee has been formed for the puja.
Since the village is located on the borders of Bhadrak and Balasore, the Durga puja here acts as a bridge between people and sharing the cultural ethos of the two districts.
Old timers recall, the Durga puja here originated 150 years ago when some children playing together mooted the idea of Kalash puja in a humble way. They pitched a small hut where Kalash puja was organized and later it was converted into idol worship.
A permanent mandap was built in the middle of the village especially for Durga puja and there was no looking back afterwards.
The villagers use the mandap for puja of Laxmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, Kartika and Nandi Bhrungi. The major attraction of the Durga puja here is that 300 dishes of khichidi are prepared and served to devotees. On Navami, pumpkins are offered to the Goddess as sacrifice.
The devotees who get their wishes fulfilled offer Khichidi Bhog to the Goddess; some even offer gold jewellery and saris to the Goddess.
This year, the villagers have spent Rs 1 lakh for puja.
Sachindra Naryana Das, Udaynath Behera and Kailash Sahu said that the Durga puja has protected the cultural heritage of the village.
A huge crowd of devotees from nearby villages throngs Andarai Durga puja. In the evenings, the villagers have been organizing cultural programme like Bhajans, Pala and melodies.
The Goddess has 20 gunth of land in her name. Puja expenses are met from the income derived from the farmland and donations.
Locals like Ramhari Sethi, Nandakishore Sethi and Ananta Jena asserted that the Durga puja has strengthened the cultural bonds between the people of the two districts.
IANS
