Theme pandals for Laxmi Puja revellers

DHENKANAL: Theme -based puja pandals have come up in Dhenkanal to welcome Goddess Laxmi. As many as 38 pandals have been erected for Laxmi Puja, which begins on  Wednesday. These pandals have come up in a row from Korian bypass to College  Chhack, a stretch of 8 km. 

Earlier, a meeting was organised by the district administration with members of  Joint Puja Committee and police for smooth conduct of the puja, with focus on crowd management. All the puja committees have erected massive pandals and gates. Light decorations are the other highlights of this year’s puja.

Mina Bazaar puja pandal attracts most visitors for its Chandi Medha (silver tableau).  Here, the deity is also adorned with gold ornaments. This year, the Mina Bazaar committee will be celebrating platinum jubilee and to mark the occasion, several cultural programmes have been scheduled.

Gudianali and Ganesh Bazaar puja committees have also prepared Chandi Medha for the deity this year. Another puja pandal that is a big draw because of its silver tableau is the Kaibyalaya Bazaar puja pandal.
Focus of organisers at Jawahar Chowk puja pandal is on protection of elephants and safeguarding their habitats. They will organise a special show to create awareness on saving the elephants. 

To cash in on the festivity, vendors have arrived with their wares from different  parts of Odisha besides, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Assam, Manipur,  Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
As many as 18 platoons of police force have been deployed for smooth conduct of the festival.

The national level nine-day Pallishree Mela will be held on the sidelines of Laxmi  Puja from Wednesday at Mahisapat ground. Organised by Odisha Rural  Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) and the district administration, the  fair will have more than 300 stalls with artisans, SHGs, vendors from as many as 15  States showcasing their products at the mela.