Bhubaneswar: All the Hindu Odia married women observed Savitri Brata today. The married women observe this day by keeping fast and praying for the long life of their husbands.
Married women in Odisha fast during the day and listen to the story of Savitri and Satyavan.
Savitri is symbolically represented by the grinding stone, locally known as Sila Pua. The grinding stone is thoroughly cleaned and worshipped. Bhoga or offering to Savitri consists of rice, wet pulses, and locally available fruits like mango, jack-fruit, banana, palm, date palm, etc.
Wet pulses, rice, mangos, jackfruits, palm fruits, kendu, bananas, and several other fruits are offered as Bhoga (offering), and observe the festival with Savitri Vrata Katha.
In the afternoon, when formalities of worship are over, they bow to their husbands and elderly people.
Savitri was the beautiful daughter of king Aswapati of Madra Desa. She selected Satyaban as her life partner, a prince in exile who was living in the forest with his blind father Dyumatsen.
She left the palace and lived with her husband and the in-laws in the forest. As a devoted wife and daughter-in-law, she went to great lengths to take care of them.
One day while cutting wood in the forest, Satyaban’s head reeled and he fell down from a tree.
Sabitri accompanied him on that day. Then Yamraj, the death God, appeared to take away his soul.
Sabitri pleaded to Yamraj not to be separated from her husband and said if he would take away the soul of her husband, she would also follow. Yamraj, moved by the devotion of Sabitri, returned the life of her husband.
Ms Kalinga