Patar Pendi, a ritual marking the beginning of the Sital Sasthi Yatra, was observed with traditional fervour and gaiety in two temples here.
The divine marriage of lord Shiva and Parbati is the essence of the famous Sital Sasthi Yatra. With the performance of the ritual, the festival is set in motion. It again speaks of the importance of leaves (Patra) in the Hindu rituals and there by the importance of trees, greenery and care for the environment since time immemorial.
During the Sital Sasthi, lord Shiva and Maa Parvati tie knots completely as per the Hindu traditions like human beings. The local people consider as good fortune to be parents of the deities during the marriage.
The Patar Pendi is the betrothal ceremony of the divine marriage. It was performed in the Balunkeswar and Gudeswar at Nandapara and Durgapali respectively on Sunday night. Sital Sasthi at Sambalpur and the Rath Yatra at Puri have close links.
The beginning of the two festivals is held on the day of Akshaya Tritiya- a sacred day for the Odia farmers on many fronts. And at Sambalpur, the Patar Pendi ritual is followed by another ritual called Thala Utha, which marks the beginning of fund raising for the festival that also again takes place on the day of Akshaya Tritiya.
like other marriages, the parents of lord Shiva look for a bride and then send a formal proposal to the parents of the bride for marriage. This formal proposal takes place during Patar Pendi where the heads of the locality go to the house of the bride. Father of the groom accompanied by seven persons goes to the residence of deity Parvati.
The seven persons who accompany the father of the groom are called 'Sapta Rushi'. They give the formal proposal of marriage to the parents of deity Parvati. In this ritual, father of the groom gives a bundle of 'Sal leaves' and this is called Patar Pendi.