CUTTACK: Kali Puja festivities start in Cuttack on Monday and like Durga Puja, it is celebrated with equal fanfare and gaiety. After a lull of two years due to Covid restrictions, the city has been decked up for the celebrations, with as many as 75 Puja committees performing the rituals of the goddess at their respective mandaps.
The Kali Puja festival is observed with utmost devotion just a fortnight after Dusshera. Meanwhile, 28 Puja Committees have set up ‘chandi medha’ as the backdrop to the idols, as the budget for the ceremony comes between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh.
Among the different idols of Goddess Kali worshipped here, the idol worshipped at Bakhrabad Loka Mandala Puja Committee is unique. It is called ‘Chhinnamasta’ or headless goddess.
Meanwhile, the police administration has made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth celebrations. As many as 50 platoons of police have been deployed at different places for the festival and special squads also formed to check untoward incidents during the celebration of Diwali, said DCP Pinak Mishra.
The immersion ceremony will be held on Friday, for which temporary ponds will be set up by Cuttack Municipal Corporation for the immersion of idols.