The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Cuttack gears up for Dusshera

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Sunday, Oct 07, 2007
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Cuttack gears up for Dusshera

Correspondent

The pujas will begin from Oct. 16 with ‘Maha Sashthi’ puja and culminate on Oct. 22

CUTTACK: Just a fortnight away from the biggest annual extravaganza, the week-long Dusshera, Cuttack is gearing up to wear the bridal look. Crowds at the shops to make puja purchases, coming up of huge bamboo scaffoldings to erect majestic welcome gates and artisans giving shape to clay idols at puja pandals indicates that the Millennium city is in celebration mood.

Despite an unprecedented deluge in August when over 90 percent of the city was affected due to water logging, the fun-loving people of the city are looking ahead to celebrate the Durga puja with religious fervour as had been doing for the past several years.

The pujas will begin from October 16 with ‘Maha Sashthi’ puja and culminate on October 22 with the immersion of deities called ’Bhasani’ in local parlance.

About 154 puja mandaps would come up in the city of which about 69 would have Goddess Durga as sitting deity while 72 would have Shiva-Parvati duo.

Besides, there would be six Pitulas at Shakti Peethas, three Kunjas, two Chaitanyas and two Krishna idols, said the sources.

Community puja

Since Durga puja heralds the beginning of community puja, people from different communities in the city have reaffirmed their faith in each other and the concept of Bhai chara (fellow feeling) comes in for real test during the period.

Community policing also comes into picture. Sahi murabis (local heads) play pivotal role between the police and the people in their locality to maintain peace.

“Maintaining law and order during the volatile puja season in Cuttack is definitely challenging for the police. But with the cooperation of Mahanagar puja committee, the celebrations pass off peacefully here”, says Superintendent of Police S.K. Priyadarshi.

Meanwhile the local puja committees are holding several meetings to discuss the preparation for a grand puja, added the city puja committee chief Pravat Tripathy.

But no preparation for puja is complete without shopping.

Apart from buying new clothes, people go for a wide-range of purchases including the material to decorate their house.

Many shops have given a facelift to their outlets and are offering attractive discounts, lucky draws and surprise gifts to the customers.

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