‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ of Maa Samaleswari minus devotees 

The Samaleswari temple wore a deserted look on the occasion of Mahalaya on Thursday as the shrine remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 
Samaleswari temple wears a deserted look on the occasion of Mahalaya on Thursday and (inset) the deity decked up in ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ | Express
Samaleswari temple wears a deserted look on the occasion of Mahalaya on Thursday and (inset) the deity decked up in ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ | Express

SAMBALPUR: The Samaleswari temple wore a deserted look on the occasion of Mahalaya on Thursday as the shrine remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Usually, the temple witnesses thousands of devotees who throng the shrine to have a glimpse of ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ of Goddess Samaleswari on Mahalaya. On the occasion, Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, dons a completely white attire unlike the rest of the year when she is adorned with red costume. The deity is decked up in the Dhabalamukhi Besha for two and a half days and during the period, the priests also perform rituals in white dresses. 

However, all the bustle was missing this year due to Covid-19 outbreak. President of Samaleswari temple trust board Sanjaya Baboo said though the shrine was closed for devotees, all the rituals were performed in presence of only the priests and board members.

“Preparation for the Dhabalamukhi Besha started in the night. It takes around four hours to deck up the deity in complete white attire. The rituals started from 4:30 am in the morning and the Goddess was offered the special Bhog of ‘Mooga bara’ made on the day of Mahalaya. The rituals continued till the offering of the Anna Bhog. The deity will adorn the besha till Saturday afternoon,” he informed.

Baboo further said the temple trust board had made arrangements to stream the rituals online for devotees on the shrine’s Facebook page. The streaming continued from early morning till 11:40 am until the rituals were completed. This apart, the ‘Maha Aarti’ was streamed online in the evening. 

The rituals streamed in the morning were viewed by over 32,000 people and shared by more than 600 Facebook users.  Sources said every year on Mahalaya, devotees from across the district and neighboring Chhattisgarh make a beeline for the temple which witnesses nearly one lakh footfall. The ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ of Goddess Samaleswari is also referred to as ‘Ganga Darshan’.

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