Thousands of men and women assembled at the Chandrabhaga beach near Konark in Puri district to take holy dip and offer prayers to the Sun God on the occasion of Magha Saptami on Wednesday despite a State-wide bandh called by Opposition parties on the issue of the Kunduli rape victim’s suicide.
Pilgrims make a beeline to Konark every year on the Magha Shukla Saptami to celebrate the birth of Sun God. When the Sun has returned on its northern course, they assemble before sunrise to take bath in the sacred river Chandrabhaga and in the adjacent nearby sea after having a glimpse of the sunrise.
The devotees take a holy dip on the seventh day of the new moon of Magha with an age-old belief that it would cleanse their sins and get them rid of skin diseases.
Along with Sun God, Mahadev is also worshipped at the place making the celebrations of this ‘Magha Mela’ unique.
Another interesting ritual performed in this famous Mela is that cooked rice and dried fish (Shukhua) dalma is offered to mythological demon Arkasura in whose name the place has been named as Arka Kshetra.
The food is then eaten together on banana leaves and the cooking pots are broken and thrown into the pond as per tradition. It is believed that all broken pieces of pots disappear from the pond afterwards.