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On the occasion of Magha Saptami today, thousands of devotees gathered at the Chandrabhaga beach in Konark in the Puri district of Odisha to offer prayers to the Sun God and take a holy dip.
Every year on the Magha Shukla Saptami, pilgrims head straight to Konark to commemorate the birth of the Sun God. Once they catch a sight of the Sun, people gather before dawn to bathe in the neighboring sea and the holy Chandrabhaga river. The Sun has returned to its northern path.
The devotees take a holy dip on the seventh day of the new moon of Magha with an age-old belief that it would cleanse their sins and get them rid of skin diseases.
It is noteworthy to mention that the auspicious occasion is celebrated to mark the birth of the Sun god every year.
Apart from Sun God, Lord Mahadev is also worshipped on the occasion.
Going by the tradition, idols of Lord Tribenishwar of Madhipur, Lord Ishaneshwar of Santhapur and Lord Dakshineshwar Mahadeb were brought in processions to the Chandrabhaga Tirtha. Devotees offered prayers to the deities there after taking the holy dip. Also, saints offered special pujas to the Sun God on this occasion.
A special ritual was performed to mark the occasion in which cooked rice and dried fish (sukhua) dalma being offered to mythological demon Arkasura in whose name the place has been named as Arka Kshetra.
The food is then eaten together on banana leafs and the cooking pots are broken and thrown into the pond as per tradition. It is believed that all broken pieces of pots disappear from the pond afterwards.
The annual Khandagiri Mela kicked off Friday with a bang at the foothills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills in the city. Every year the nine-day mela takes off on the occasion of Magha Saptami which is the seventh day of the second quarter of the holy month Magha.
