The entire Baleswar town turned a marriage venue as hundreds of people from various walks of life congregated to the witness the marriage between Achutya and Mallicka bearing the symbolic names for a pair of dolls.
This is the third year the tying of nuptial knots between a pair of lacquer dolls was conducted with the initiative of a group of culture-loving people, while the objective of the unique wedding is to revive , promote and propagate the indigenous lacquer art of the area.
“The names Achutya and Mallicka are the characters associated with Baleswari lok Katha. The names were given to the dolls as per decision of our marriage committee,” informed Kesu Das, an organiser.
As per the schedule, while a colourful procession began from the the Town Hall, residence of the bride groom, with traditional drums, dances, and crackers, it reached the residence of the bride at Sunhat’s Kanak Durga Temple after about two hours.
The marriage was completed as per the Hindu rituals with Odia essence.The members of the bride groom party were offered a grand feast. “I played the role of father of the bride and accordingly, I and my family members accomplished all the rituals that are required in case of Odia typical marriage,” said Madhusudan Das.
“With best of our efforts and abilities, we gave the support expected from the house of a bride,” he added.To witness the marriage, culture lovers from different parts of country poured in here, who called it as a unique and memorable event.
Three priests took nearly three hours to complete the customs and rituals of the marriage.“This is the third year we conducted the marriage in a grand manner involving people of all walks of life. We are looking all the aspects of the marriage and making the needful changes to give it a shape of typical pure Odia marriage,” said Subasini Jena, an organizer.