The Sital Sasthi that marks the marriage ceremony of lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati ended with the celestial wedding on Monday night.

The marriage of the divine couple was as per the Vedic tradition in the houses of the Kanyapita lending the town a festive look.

The Sital Sasthi festival is performed like a real marriage of a bride with a groom. A couple performs the role of parents of deity Parvati and offers the hand of their daughter to lord Shiva.

The custom of dowry is also there as the Kanyapita gives all golden ornaments and rest other materials required for a household to Maa Parvati.

As per the tradition, the groom, lord Shiva, comes in a mammoth procession to the house of the Kanyapita where the marriage is performed as per the Hindu tradition. And, the bride's father offers the hand of Goddess Parvati during the marriage.

This year, Panchanana Sahu and his wife Minakshi Sahu of Deheripali performed the role of in-laws of loknath Baba of Jharuapara while Nilamani Bidyadhara and lavanya of Susari Gali performed the role of in-laws of Balunkeswar Baba of Nandapara. Similarly, Pradipta Kumar Susari and his wife Kunupriya Susari performed the role of Kanyapita and Kanyamata for Jageswar Baba of Modipara.

The procession marks the homecoming of the deities after the marriage and this was taken out on Tuesday night. Thousands of the artists from across the region and from neighbouring States will perform during the procession.

"The significance of the festival is that human being performs the role of parents of Goddess Parvati and offers the hand of deity to lord Shiva. The festival provides opportunity to human beings to get lord Shiva as son-in-law," opined Panchanan Mishra of Gopalmal.

As per history, Baliyar Singh, the fifth king of Chouhan dynasty, had invited some Utkaliya Brahmin of Biraramachandrapur Sason of Puri to stay here in Sambalpur. They were devotees of lord Shiva. They brought the tradition of Sital Sasthi to Sambalpur.

With arrival of Utkaliya Brahmins from Puri here, the custom of organizing the marriage ceremony of the deities started in 1678. The divine wedding first started in Someswar Baba temple of Balibandha in

Sambalpur. later, the Sital Sasthi festival was observed in

Balunkeswar temple of Nandpara, loknath Baba of Jharuapara and

Jageswar Baba of Modipara. However, now several other Shiva temples of the city observe the Sital Sasthi festival, informed Mishra.