Laxmi Puja begins in Angul with COVID-19 guide lines

The Laxmi Puja in Angul which was first started by then Lt Radha Prasad of Laxmi Bazar in 1950’s.The number of Puja pandals has increased to more than 50 along the  Banarpal- Angul route.32 mandaps are erected in Angul while  23 other puja pandals were erected in Banarpal and Nalco township area.

All most all the puja mandaps,including  the Bus stand Puja mandap, Laxmi bazaar, Bazar chhak, Santi Bazar and other puja pandals  which were earlier stood out by virtue of their uniqueness every year this year all puja committees are celebrating with COVID-19 guide lines.

The mandaps at College square, Amalapada, Sanjeevani market, Hulurusinhga, Hari Mahuri Chhaka which were  prominent places for attracting visitors during the festival in previous years this year those places  look barren without any crowd.

“All most all the puja committees  have installed  4 feet height of  idols of  goddess Laxmi.There will be only 7 members during ritual performance.Besides,puja committee members would  ensure to the physical distancing norms inside pandals and are given masks by puja committees if they do not have them”,Patnaik said.

“The main attraction of the Laxmi puja here lies in different shapes of Goddess Laxmi. In some of pandals like at Angul bus-stand, one can see Laxmi as Maha Laxmi while in other puja pandals, it can be seen a Gaja Laxmi (In the form of elephant) and in some others people worship the wealth of goddess as Laxmi Narayana form”he added.

"This tradition of worshipping goddess Laxmi in the form of various forms at Angul  bear its speciality in the state.We have faith mother goddess Laxmi fulfill our all aspirations with blessings on all",Naresh behera,another puja committee member said.

Tapan kumar Satpathy,the additional district magistrate ,Angul said,”This year the puja will continue for three days and on fourth day there will immersion as per COVID guide lines”.