Sambalpur: Sitalsasthi Jatra; Thaal Utha Program of Various Padas has been Completed Yesterday, 400 Years of Sitalsasthi Thal Ritual on Akshaya Tritiya
Sambalpur: On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the famous Sitalsasthi Jatra (festival) of Sambalpur began with the Thal Utha (lifting of the ceremonial plates) ritual, which was completed on Friday afternoon. Additionally, the pre-preparation festivities for the Sambalashti Yatra and the week-long sacred marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva (Mahadev) and Mother Parvati (Jagatjanani Mata) have begun.
Various puja (worship) and aarti (ritual of circulating lamps) ceremonies were held at other temples during this occasion, including Baba Balunkeshwar of Nandpada, Sri Sri Loknath Baba of Jhaduapada, Sri Sri Jageshwar Baba of Mudipada, Sri Sri Somnath Baba of Balibandha, Sri Sri Sitleshwar Baba of Badbazar, and Sri Sri Gupteswar Baba of Thakurpada. In addition to these rituals, the Jatra Committees released the names of the girl’s parents representing the bride’s parents, as is traditional.
Shri Shri Bam Bam Barad Balunkeshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Nandapada was held yesterday at 4 pm. This year, Sumant Kumar Panda and Nitipriya Debi from Charbhati are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Ramcharan Mishra and Babita Mishra from Nandapada are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. The priest Lakhyapati Mahapatra performed the puja (rituals).
Shri Shri Jageshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Mudipada was held yesterday at 7 pm. This year, Dr. Sydhanshu Panda and Dr. Sanjukta Panda are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Madhusudan Negi takes responsibility as the parents of the groom. The temple priest Gobind Panda and Krushnachandra Panigrahi performed the puja (rituals). Jatra committee president Jagdish Panda, Sunil Dash, Sudhir Panda, Akshaya Pradhan, Bhola Mahatta, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Lokanath Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Jhaduapada was held yesterday at 5 pm. This year, former international Indian cricket player Debashish Mohanti and Riti Mukta Das are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Amarnath Supakar and Amaya Supakar are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. The temple priest Ramnath Mahapatra and marriage priest Mahendra Pujari performed the puja (rituals). Saroj Dalpat, Parthasarathi Mishra, Sushant Purohit, Subhendra Panda, ChandrasekharPadhi and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Sitleshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Badabazar was held yesterday. This year, Raja Behera and Pushpanjali Behera of Saheb Bangala are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Jagadish Kalanoria takes responsibility as the parents of the groom. The priests Jogeswar Nanda, Swarit Padhi, and Sanjay Badmali performed the puja (rituals). Kishor Pradhan, Kalidash Panda, Panchanan Tripathi, Bhabesh Chand, Kundan Pradhan, Ashish Ray, Hari Mahapatra and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Pahadeshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Budharaja was held yesterday. This year, Samarjit Patnaik and Sabitri Patnaik are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. The priests Silendra Pujari and Raja Pujari performed the puja (rituals). Jatra committee president Debendra Pati, Vice President Rajesh Singh, Kailash Sahu, Amarjit Mrher, Sanat Nath, Sushant Dandasena, Pramod Sahu, Ramesh Pradhan, Raja Acharya, Jogesh Sahu and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Somnath Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Balibandha was held yesterday. This year, Shankar Sahu and Mina Sahu of Aatha Colony are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Jatra committee president Prashant Pradhan, Laxman Patel, Somnath Baba Trustboard President Dr. Bijay Kumar Pradhan, Sabhya Lokanath Pande, Sanjay Behera, Kailash Mistri, Samleiswari Trust Board President Sanjay Babu, Siddhart Saha, Nihar Ranjan Bahidar and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Gupteshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Daleipada was held yesterday. This year, Anil Beriha and Bidyut Prabha of Jagannath Colony are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Ramraj Dash and Sujata are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. The priests Bhaskar Mahapatra and Uttam Rath performed the puja (rituals). Jatra committee president Satrughna Lal Saha, vice president Arjun Taria, Siddhart Saha, Arun Taria, Alok Naik, Shyamsundar Agrawal, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Omakreshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Sakhipada was held yesterday. This year, Sujaya Panigrahi and Sabita Panigrahi of Hutma village are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Tapan Pani and Prabhati Pani of Sakhipada are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. The priest Ram Tripathi performed the puja (rituals). Jatra committee president Budhram Munda, Editor Shukru Munda, Ramdayal Tripathi, Hira Munda, Banmali Kashyap, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Gupteshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Thakurpada was held yesterday. This year, Shashank Sekhar Pradhan and Suman Pradhan of Panchgachia are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. The temple priest Kishor Chandra Dehuri and the main priest Asutosh Purohit performed the puja (rituals). Jatra committee president Sib Prasad, Santosh Bag, Balram Jal, Kalia Dora, Sandip Naik, Manoranjan Sahu, Anand Jal, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Tarkeshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Sindurpank was held yesterday. This year, Pradip Kumar Mishra and Sagarika Mishra of Themra are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Bikash Chandra Sahu and Rakhi Sahu of Sindurpank are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. Jatra committee president Tanmay Kumar Dhar, Binaya Kar, Bidyadhar Panda, Santosh Kedia, Mahendra Panda, Pankaj Singh, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Kalpeshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Kuluthkani was held yesterday. This year, Prasanna Kumar Kalta and Sushama Kalta are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Krushna Chanda Tali and Himadri Tanaya Panda are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. Jatra committee president Bikarmaditya Sindhdeo, Editor Rabi Narayan Panda, Udit Padjoshi, Bipin Bhoi, Jayan Das, Ashutosh Kar, Akhya Maharana, Indramani Das, Arabinda Nayak, and more were prominently present in the program.
Shri Shri Mahakaleshwar Baba’s thala utha (plate raising) program in Shantinagar was held yesterday. This year, Prakash Oram and Labanga Oram are taking responsibility as the parents of the bride. Ramachandra Dash and Rani Dash are taking responsibility as the parents of the groom. The priest Debadatta performed the puja (rituals). All Puja Committee members were prominently present in the program.
It has been 400 years in Akshaya Tritiya that the Sitalsasthi Thal ritual has been performed.
It has been a 400-year-old tradition in Sambalpur to commence the Sitalsasthi Jatra on Akshaya Tritiya, celebrating the divine marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Every year, on this auspicious day, the festival begins with the ceremonial lifting of the plates (thal utha). After a month-long preparation, the week-long divine wedding ceremony takes place. Lakhs of devotees gather, and many people find temporary employment opportunities during this religious celebration. Before Akshaya Tritiya, a meeting is held between the administration and the various Jatra Committees of the city to coordinate and plan the festivities.
On June 6th, PatarPeni will be done at Nandpada, and the invitation to the deities will be made on the 7th. PatarPeni will occur on the 8th, and the invitation to the deities will be made on the 9th of other Padas. The marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati will be celebrated on the 10th, followed by a city tour on the 11th, and the entry of the divine couple into the temple on the 12th.
