Durga Puja Celebration Ends for Another Year

All across India people gathered to conclude the celebrations for the Goddes Durga and her many manifestations. Orissa bids adieu to Goddess Durga KalingaTimes Correspondent Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Oct 22: Durga Puja came to an end in Orissa with the burning of the effigies of Ravana on Sunday evening. But the curtains on the annual puja celebrations finally came down on Monday with lakhs of devotees bidding a tearful farewell to Goddess Durga with immersion of the idols of the goddess in various rivers across the State. The idols of the goddess were immersed in different rivers as thousands of devotees took Goddess Durga in processions to perform the immersion ritual. In the Millennium city of Cuttack, around 50 idols were immersed in Kathjodi river by late on Monday evening. Most of the idols that were worshipped in the city were likely to be immersed in the night. Some idols would be immersed on Tuesday. As the puja pandals wore a deserted look during the day, all roads led to the immersion site by afternoon. Lakhs of people were out of their homes to witness the colourful processions in which the idols from different pandals were carried for immersion. In keeping with the tradition, the idols were first brought to Choudhury Bazaar for a congregation called `Melan'. Then they were taken in procession one after the other to the immersion place at Devi Gada. Heavy security arrangements were made on the procession routes to ensure smooth conduct of the immersion ceremony. In Bhubaneswar, the idols were taken in processions on different roads for immersion in Kuakhai and Daya rivers. Traffic came to a halt as the processions passed through several main roads amid tight security arrangements. Thousands of people stood on both sides of the procession routes to bid farewell to the goddess. The processions that started in the afternoon continued till late in the evening.