Cuttack: The legend dates back to 1508 when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in Odisha. During his stay in Cuttack, Sri Chaitanya advised his disciples for organising Durga Puja and worshipping the Goddess at Balubazar.
According to the Binod Bihari puja committee members, the Durga Puja on a big scale started at Balubazar in 1510, and the 512-year-old tradition continues to date.
It is one of the oldest Durga Puja pandals in the Millenium city, where Maa Durga is worshipped strictly as per Bengali tradition and rituals. On Sunday, on the occasion of Mahalaya, the ‘Khadi Chhada Amavasya’ rituals were held. Similarly, the ‘Chakhyu Daan’ rituals will be held on ‘Chaturthi’ (the fourth day during Dussera).
The importance of the Puja in Balubazar is that their calendar, and schedule is followed by most number of Puja committees in Cuttack. At Balulazar, the idols are crafted with natural ingredients and colours, only by members of the local Bengali Brahmin families. They carry out the rituals and they will conduct the immersion ceremony.
