Bhubaneswar: The annual Durga Puja celebrations came to a close across Odisha on Friday, as thousands of devotees thronged the streets for grand immersion processions marked by colour, music, and traditional fervour.
In the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, immersion began around noon and continued late into the night, with major thoroughfares turning into festive processional routes. While 193 community pujas were organised in Bhubaneswar this year, Cuttack hosted 160 mandaps, each drawing huge crowds.
With restrictions on high-decibel DJ systems, many puja committees chose to revive traditional instruments and cultural performances, lending the processions a more heritage feel.
In Bhubaneswar, the processions moved along four designated routes, led by cultural organisations such as the Bhubaneswar Bhasani Utsav Committee (Saheed Nagar), Rajdhani Mandir Suraksha Bhasani Committee (Nayapalli), Uttar Bhubaneswar Bhasani Committee (Chandrasekharpur), and the Old Town Bhasani Committees.
Cuttack, renowned for its silver filigree medhas, witnessed massive gatherings at immersion points including College Chhak, Ranihat, Mangalabag, Buxibazar, Darghabazar, and Choudhury Bazar. The idols were finally taken to the historic Devigada ghat, where a temporary pond was created for eco-friendly immersion.
To ensure smooth conduct of the massive ritual, the administration rolled out a multi-layered security plan. Over 122 platoons of police were on duty, aided by CCTV and drone surveillance, along with bomb disposal and anti-terror squads. A newly formed 60-member police team (CTC 60) was deployed for the first time to monitor sound levels and take immediate action against processions exceeding the permissible 60-decibel limit.
Traffic restrictions were in force throughout the day, while ODRAF and Fire Services personnel remained stationed at immersion points to tackle emergencies. To curb river pollution, temporary immersion ponds were set up across cities—five in Bhubaneswar, though officials reported rain-related damage to two.
The immersion ceremonies brought the curtains down on Odisha’s biggest festival season, which once again blended devotion, cultural tradition, and modern administrative measures for safety and sustainability.
