SAMBALPUR: The city wore a festive look on Sital Sasthi marking the marriage of lord Shiva with his consort goddess Parvati solemnized late on Saturday night.As the rituals for the festival began on Tuesday, people from across the region as well as nearby states thronged the western Odisha city to witness the celestial event taking place after a gap of two years. The festival was held in a low-key manner for two years consecutively due to Covid-19.
As per the tradition, two eminent persons of the city play the role of parents of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and perform the marriage ceremony of a man and a woman from two different families in real life. As per the tradition, lord Shiva is brought to the house of the bride, goddess Parvati in a procession. Thousands of devotees accompany lord Shiva in the procession.
Another procession, which marks the homecoming of the newly-wed deities after the marriage, will begin on Sunday night and continue till Monday afternoon. More than 6,000 artistes from across the State will participate in the event.