like past years, the immersion of four Durga tableaus here in Rajnagar block took place following a unique tradition on Wednesday.
In keeping with the tradition and to pay respect to the members of the Kanika royal family, the Puja organisers immersed the idols in a boat in a river on Wednesday.
Rajnagar police station IIC Sitakantha Kanungo said this year the locals of Rajnagar worshipped the deity Durga by erecting 19 pandals. The day after Dussehra, the locals ,as per an age-old tradition, took four medhas to Hansua river where well- decorated boats were reserved for deities’ boating .later, the locals took the medhas in the boats to the mid of the river and organised boating of four deities. Then they immersed the idols.
According to Jagannath Das , a local , deities enjoyed boating in the Hansua river before they were immersed. This was a centuries’ old tradition and a way to respect Kanika King Bhujabala Bhanjadeo, who started the deity immersion in boating during his reign.
According to Siba Prasad Sahu, the member of Bana Durga puja committee, King Bhanjadeo had started worshipping Durga by erecting earthen idols about two centuries’ back at Rajnagar to protect the area from nature’s fury and epidemic. After worshipping the deity from Mahasasthi to Dussehra, the King used to immerse the deity at Hansua river after providing the goddess a luxurious boating pleasure.
Consequently, it has become a tradition ever since. Necessary police arrangements were made on Wednesday to make the immersion event incident-free.
Fire tender personnel and fishermen were deployed to lend their helping hand. Thousands of locals stood in two sides of the river bank to witness the boating of the deity.