More than five lakh devotees thronged the temple of Maa Tara Tarini on the third Tuesday of the month of Chaitra. The Hill Shrine near Brahmapur in Ganjam district is the ancient Shakti shrine, which is believed to have originated from the limbs of Mata Sati.
located on the banks of river Rushikulya, the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine draws people across the year, but the month of Chaitra and the third Tuesday in particular witness the largest congregations of devotees.
As per the age-old practice, more than 20,000 babies tonsured their heads during the day through ‘Mundan’ and offered their hairs seeking blessings of the mother Goddesses for a blissful life.
The third Tuesday, considered the holiest in the annual calendar of events of the Hill Shrine, began with the chanting of traditional mantras on the midnight of Monday. The priests performed the rituals of Snana, Majana and Maha Arati of the Goddesses before the sanctum sanctorum of the temple was thrown open for the devotees.
Many senior officials of the State government were present on the occasion. An ardent devotee of Holy Mother, V Karthikeya Pandian, Personal Secretary to the Chief Minister, who is a regular visitor to the shrine, was the first to reach the temple at wee hours. Ganjam district Collector Krishan Kumar was also there to have a glimpse of the goddess.
The devotees waited in long queues and dared a late-afternoon drizzle to offer prayers at the temple and participate in the Chaitra Mela, one of the biggest religious fairs in the country.
On this occasion, more than 10,000 groups were seen cooking in the surrounding locations and had a day of picnic. like the earlier occasions, heavy police deployment was made to avert any untoward incident.
Six special buses were pressed into service to help the devotees reach the hilltop.