Bhubaneswar: ‘Laxmi Puja’ was celebrated with pomp and gaiety across Bhubaneswar Sunday. The denizens of the capital city made beelines to well decorated pandals to worship the Goddess of Wealth seeking wellbeing of their near and dear ones.
This capital city has been dotted with magnificent pandals in worship of the Goddess. All the committees this year have emphasised on making their pandals free from plastic. They also have made ample arrangements for the visiting devotees.
Laxmisagar Gajalaxmi Puja Samiti, one of the premier Gajalaxmi Puja mandaps in the city, is celebrating its completion of 29th year this year. They have pushed the boat out by putting up a 70 feet high and 80 feet wide pandal, resembling the Buckingham Palace of London. The main attraction of this year’s puja is that the idol of Goddess Laxmi is for the first time adorned with a silver crown and necklace weighing six kilograms.
The Goddess will be worshipped till October 19 at Laxmisagar. Immersion will be observed the next day. Pandal hoppers will be entertained with varieties of cultural programmes for seven days and the orgnisers would try to create awareness against plastic through several initiatives.
Going one step ahead, Mahavir Yuvak Sangha in BJB Nagar is spreading message on water conservation along with harmful effect of plastic through its theme based pandal. A part of the pandal displays how rain water can be conserved and then put to use. Every evening from October 13 to 20, there will be cultural programmes here.
Bapuji Nagar Youth Association completes 54th year of its commencement this year. Unlike previous year, this year the idol has been brought from outside. Cultural programmes are going to be major attraction here.
The idol of Goddess Laxmi at Nayapalli Yuva Parishad will adorn a silver crown and other ornaments weighing two kilograms for the first time. The pandal here resembles a Rajasthani temple. Pandal hoppers will be treated here with colourful cultural programmes every evening till October 20.
Unit-III Kharbelanagar GajaLaxmi Sanskrutika Sangha is going to make their puja something different this year. The sangha will felicitate Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s scavengers, acknowledging their tireless job to keep the city clean.
They apart, Goddess Laxmi is also being worshipped at 50 other pandals as well including the ones at Old Station Bazaar, VSS Nagar, Gopabandhu Smruti Sansad at Unit-VIII, Baramunda, Siripur, Unit-VI, Ashoknagar, Chandrasekharpur, Nayapalli, CRP, Mancheswar, Chakeisiani, Rasulgarh, Unit-IX and Old Bhubnaeswar.
PNN
