BERHAMPUR: The month-long Chaitra Jatra at the famous hill shrine of Taratarini in Ganjam district came to an end on Tuesday. Considered as one of the biggest religious fairs, devotees throng the shrine on each Tuesday of Chaitra month to worship the goddess and offer hair of their wards, as per the tradition.
Ram Prasad Tripathy, a scholar, described it as one of the four Adi Shakti Peethas. Last Tuesday, following the age-old tradition, the Sevaks opened the sanctum sanctorum of the temple at midnight.
After Snana (the divine bath), Majana and Maha Arati, ‘Amruta Kalasha’ or the first ‘Bhoga’ was offered to the goddesses at around 3.55 am.
The goddesses then went for a ‘Parikrama’ around the temple. After the completion of the ‘Parikrama,’ a large number of devotees, who gathered on the hilltop to have the first glimpse of the goddess, were allowed for ‘darshan,’ which continued till late evening. Around one thousand barbers were engaged for tonsuring the heads of around 5,000 children and elders, who wished to offer their hair on the occasion.