Puri: The holy dip rituals on Magha Saptami in Odisha at Chandrabhaga beach near Konark has been observed today with as many as 2 lakh devotees. Lakhs of devotees took a holy dip at the Chandrabhaga beach on Friday morning on the occasion of the holy Magha Saptami festival.
As per the tradition on Magha Saptami, the presiding deities of Konark, Lord Tribeniswara, Lord Aisaneswara and Lord Dakhineswara were taken out on a grand procession to the Tirtha Mandap at Chandrabhaga on the auspicious occasion and were given bath at around 3:50 am as per rituals.
To manage the crowd, huge number of police personnel were deployed in Konark, informed the Puri SP. On the seventh day of the first half of the ‘Magha’ month, pilgrims take the dip with the age-old belief that a bath in the beach would cleanse them of skin diseases and wash away their sins.
It is to be noted here that devotees gather at the Chandrabhaga beach near Konark to take a holy dip and offer prayers the occasion of Magha Saptami every year. This year, the Tithi falls on February 16, while the Sunrise Time for Konark on Magha Saptami 2024 is 6:19 am. Further detailed reports awaited in this matter.
Ms Kalinga