Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 5 (UDN): The festive spirit of Durga Puja has begun to take shape in Odisha, with centuries-old rituals marking the formal beginning of preparations in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, several Durga Puja committees gathered along riverbanks to perform traditional rituals before collecting clay—an age-old custom that signals the start of idol-making and preparations for the Sharadiya festival.
In Cuttack, puja committees performed special prayers on the riverbanks before collecting the sacred soil. Priests recited mantras and conducted homa rituals, following which committee members carried the clay back to their respective puja venues.
For many committees, the ritual is not merely a ceremonial beginning but a tradition deeply woven into the cultural identity of the city.
A Tradition Traced Back to 1881
At Manglabag, the ritual carries a particularly long legacy.
According to Manglabag Puja Committee chairman Nrusingh Chaudhary, the practice of collecting clay on Janmashtami dates back to 1881 and has continued uninterrupted as part of the committee’s annual Durga Puja tradition.
“Today is Janmashtami, and there can be no more auspicious day than this. There is a legend which is followed in our Manglabag Puja Committee that this ritual was started in 1881. We have followed it since then, and every year on Janmashtami, we collect clay. From today, we start planning for the upcoming Durga Puja,” Chaudhary said.
With the clay collection completed, committees will now turn their attention to idol-making, pandal construction, decorations, lighting and other arrangements for the festival.
Rituals Along the Kuakhai
The tradition was equally visible in Bhubaneswar, where the banks of the Kuakhai river witnessed similar rituals.
More than 20 puja committees, including those from Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Chandrasekharpur, Salia Sahi, Dumduma, Baramunda and Kalarahanga, participated in the traditional clay collection.
Priests performed puja and homa before the soil was gathered, maintaining the customary sequence of rituals. Committee members then transported the clay to their respective puja locations, where preparations for the idols will now begin.
From Sacred Clay to Grand Celebrations
The collection of clay may appear to be a simple ritual, but for Odisha’s puja committees, it represents the first step towards one of the state’s biggest annual celebrations.
As artisans begin shaping the clay into the idol of Goddess Durga and committees begin constructing elaborate pandals, the countdown to Durga Puja has effectively begun.
In Cuttack, where Durga Puja has been celebrated with remarkable grandeur and tradition for generations, rituals such as these serve as a reminder that even as celebrations evolve with time, their cultural roots remain firmly intact.
From a handful of sacred soil collected on Janmashtami to the towering idols and dazzling pandals that will soon light up the cities, the journey of Durga Puja has begun once again—carrying an old tradition into a new generation.
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