KENDRAPARA: The grand old Durga Puja, started by the King of Kanika in 1718 at Rajnagar, is celebrating its 300th year of festival this year. Going down memory lane, Subhranshu Sutar, a researcher, said the puja at Rajnagar has a rich past. In 1718, Raja Bairaji Bhanjadeo started performing Durga Puja after an outbreak of cholera claimed many lives in Rajnagar and nearby areas. The King’s palace was at Righagada, which was near Rajnagar, he said.
“Rajnagar is one of the oldest and most revered pujas in the district. Every year, a large number of devotees visit the place and seek blessings from Goddess Durga,” Sutar said. Scion of Kanika royal family Shivendra Narayan Bhanjdeo said his ancestors had started the puja in the village. “This Dussehra, we are celebrating the 300th year of Rajnagar Durga Puja,” he said.
After the puja, devotees immerse Maa Durga following a procession on boats in Hansua river. Boatmen, priests and devotees oar the boats near the bank from one riverside village to another while hundreds of locals offer coconuts and garlands to bid farewell to Maa Durga, informed secretary of Rajnagar Maa Durga Puja Committee Pravat Chandra Mishra.
Taking the deities on boat rides on the immersion day is an age-old tradition at Rajnagar, said Jagannath Das, a local. Many rivers and creeks are intertwined in Rajnagar area. As there were no bridges earlier, people used to take the idols on boats during immersion procession. Even though the area is now well connected with pucca roads and bridges, villagers organise the procession to preserve the past tradition, he said.
In the past, many devotees used to swim towards the boats to touch the idols of Maa Durga. “But for the last 20 years, few dare to enter the water as the river is replete with many saltwater crocodiles,” he said and added that Hansua is linked with the water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park. Crocodiles often stray from the park areas to Hansua, Das said.