Kotpad: Aug 17 [UDN}:Padmavati Mahapatra, a well-known devout woman of the Kotpad area and an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath, has passed away. She breathed her last in Jeypore today. Her demise has cast a pall of gloom across the entire region.
Padmavati Mahapatra’s husband, Late Markanda Mahapatra, had served for many years as the chief priest of the Shri Jagannath Temple in Kotpad. Like her husband, she too had devoted herself completely to the service and worship of Lord Jagannath.
She was always compassionate towards the helpless, distressed and poor. She had a deep connection with religious activities. Particularly during the holy month of Kartika, she used to create beautiful and lifelike Jhoti-Alpana designs for the worship of Radha-Damodara. She also authored writings on Jhoti-Alpana along with several religious books, thereby establishing a distinct identity among the people of the region.
A large number of relatives, friends and well-wishers from Jeypore, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Kotpad attended her final journey to bid her farewell. Expressing grief over her demise, local residents said that the region has lost a devout, charitable and simple-hearted woman.
It is the heartfelt prayer of all that the immortal soul of Padmavati Mahapatra, a devoted follower of Lord Jagannath, may find eternal peace at the holy feet of Lord Jagannath.
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