The third Tuesday of Chaitra month, considered as the holiest in the annual calendar of the Tara Tarini Shakti Peetha, witnessed huge rush with four lakh of devotees visiting the hill temple on the occasion.
The day began with the chanting of Vedic Mantras on the midnight of Monday. lakhs of devotees started gathering at the hill shrine from Monday afternoon. The Mangala Arati began at around12.10 am and after completion of Abakasha, Snana, Mailama lagi, Sringara, Chandana lagi, Panchamruta Bhoga, Bala Bhoga and Khichidi Bhoga and the morning Arati of Adi Shakti was completed at 3.20 am. After that the Bagala Mukhi Besha Darshana for devotees began.
Mundan ceremony of over 10,000 babies (usually performed during the first year of a child’s life) was held. Devotees waited in long queues bearing the extreme heat to offer prayers at the Shakti Peetha.
The district administration and police had made elaborate arrangements for the visitors. As per the belief, devotees climbed 999 steps to reach the hill temple. The rope-way operated by the TTDB and Ushabreco also carried thousands of devotees to the hill temple. The TTDB also operated buses to carry around 10,000 devotees to the hill top.
Justice Basudev Panigrahi of the Odisha High Court, MP ladu Kishor Swain, MlA R Mallick, IG (Southern Range) Amitabh Thakur, Ganjam SP Ashish Singh were present, among others.
Special arrangements like temporary health camps and drinking water points were made for the convenience of the visitors.
The volunteers of the TTDB, NGOs and voluntary organizations and local residents helped the devotees coming from neighboring States like Andhra Pradsh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, etc.