Thousands of devotees thronged the Baruni Ghat to witness the Bigraha Pratistha Utsav held on the bank of the Rushikullya river close to the famous Lord Shiva's Temple at Pratappur under Purushottampur police limits.

Devotees from different parts of the State as well as from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh visited the famous “Baruni Ghat” and had darshan Maa Rushikullya Devi built on the bank of Rushikulya river.

They  took holy bath  in the Ghat to fulfill their desire.

Notably, Rushikullya river didnot have a temple of Rushikulya Devi on the river bank and a safe Ghat for taking holy dip.

Especially, there was no place for female devotees in particular, to change their clothes after bath.

However, it is because of the efforts of the former OLA Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda, the long cherished desire of the devotees and the local public, of having a Maa Rushikulya Devi temple and concrete structure (hall) for the devotees on the bank of river Rushikulya could become a reality before last Kartika Purnima.

According to local residents, when Panda was the Member of State Planning Board, he had laid the foundation stone for Baruni Ghata and Rushikulya temple on the river bank on March 18 last year. Now under the banner of Rushikulya Baruni Ghat Urnnayan Parishad, of which  Panda is the advisor and with the cooperation of Parishad president Sanata Panda, vice-president Surendra Kumar Panda, secretary Gouri Roula, and Sudarsan Nayak, the premises of temple of Rushikulya Devi and the Ghat/Snana Bedi has been fully completed.

The temple Bigraha Pratistha ceremony was held under the supervision of Pandit Simanchal Triapthy on Wednesday.

 A large number of dignitaries, Khallikote MLA Suryamani Baidya, Chhatrapur MLA Subash Behera, Prof Bishnu Choudhury, Prof Banamali Panigrahi, Bijaya Biswal, former Block Chairman of Chatrapur Bhagaban Behera, Er Binod Padhi, former Ganjam Block Chairman Surath Pradhan were present.