PURI: Thousands of habisyalis and elderly women ended the month-long Kartika Brata by taking a holy dip in the sea on Friday.
Special rituals were performed in government-run habisyali centres to mark the end of the brata. The devotees rushed to Mahadadhi Tirth (a stretch of five km of beach from Swargadwar to Chakratirtha) to take the holy dip in the sea and floated miniature boats to mark Kartika Purnima. The habisyalis performed special rituals involving the sacred Basil (Tulsi) before taking the holy dip.
After offering prayers to the rising sun, they then proceeded to Shree Jagannath Temple to witness the Rajrajeswar Suna Vesha of the Trinity. The shrine’s priests performed daily chores like mangal arati, mailum, tadaplagi, abakash, surya puja and rosa homa before offering gopal bhog to the deities.
As per the rescheduled timing of the temple administration, special servitors dressed the deities in gold ornaments which included tiaras and necklaces studded with precious gems. Soon after darshan of the deities, several habisyalis began returned home while a few stayed back. Sources said 37 platoons of police personnel were deployed in the town to maintain law and order.