BHUBANESWAR: It is often said that Odisha is a state of perpetual festivity where thirteen festivals are celebrated in twelve months. After the ceremonious glorification of Goddess Durga for almost a week, the city is now gearing up to celebrate Kumar Purnima, which also marks the beginning of 11 days of Gajalaxmi Puja across the state. Laxmi Puja is celebrated in the districts of Ganjam and Dhenkanal amid much fanfare.
Orissa Post interacted with several bachelor girls, priests and senior citizens to know the importance of this festival.
Bapuji Nagar Gaja Laxmi Puja Committee’s member Bapi Mohanty said, “We have made exemplary arrangements for devotees to have a proper darshan of Maa GajaLaxmi. We have also made specific provisions for a Bhajan Sandhya.”
According to Shantilata Barik, a 72-year-old resident of Badhei Banka chowk in Old town area, said, “The traditional Odia festival of Kumar Purnima is celebrated on the full-moon day of Asvina month in the Hindu calendar. Kumar is an alias of Lord Kartik. The girls attempt to appease him through worship as he is considered to be the most handsome of all the gods. My granddaughter Remuna Barik will celebrate her first Kartika Purnima today. I will gift her a new dress and prepare prasad and paana for this occasion.”
Eminent poet Prativa Satpathy said, “Despite us living in the modern world, every Odia household gets active on this day In the morning, a handful of water along with flower petals, known as anjali, is offered to the rising Sun. In the evening, a special prasad named Chanda, which is made of bananas, cottage cheese, grated coconut and flowers, shaped in the form of a crescent, is offered to the full moon.”
Khetramohan Dash, a priest of Lord Jagannath, said, “It’s a festival where obeisance is offered to Lord Kartik and Moon God where young unmarried girls wish to marry a handsome and virtuous husband in the future. They offer Anjula, where they hold Lia, a kind of grain, and offer it to the gods. Apart from this, a half moon prasad made of banana, chenna, lia and sugar is offered to appease these divinities. A special hymn is sung by these girls and water is offered to the Lords along with prasad and dhoopa.”
The worshippers spend the day with friends and relatives singing and dancing to folk music. The traditional game of Puchi is played in rural areas. Various types of country cakes such as poda pitha, arisa pitha and manda pitha are prepared in many homes on this day. The devotees got together in groups creating jhoti (patterns made with rice paste) in front of a Tulsi or Basil plant.
A programme Kumara Punei Jahna Lo is organised by the Madhumaya Panigrahi Foundation at Town Hall to celebrate the day. Nalini Patra, a resident of Behampur townhall, said, “This occasion is celebrated in Berhampur in a grand way. My niece and daughter have already ordered their new frocks for the occasion. It’s a day for wishing a girl child the very best for her marital life.”