Nabarangpur, 25th Sept 2025: The grand celebration of the Sharadiya Navaratri Puja of Maa Bhandar Gharani, the presiding deity of Nabarangpur district, has officially begun today. On the first day of the festival, light drizzle led to a slight drop in the number of devotees present for the rituals.
As the revered Dussehra Puja of Maa begins today, the symbolic idol (Patakhanda) of the goddess has been brought out for public darshan. Devotees will have the opportunity to see the goddess in this traditional form as she remains seated at her symbolic seat (Patakhanda Peetha).
Normally west-facing, Maa Bhandar Gharani appears east-facing in her Patakhanda form during Navaratri. This is the only Shakti Peetha (seat of divine feminine energy) in Nabarangpur district, where the nine-day-long Navaratri or Dussehra festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion.