Prayers, holy dips mark Makar Sankranti in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: People took a holy dip in ponds, tanks and rivers and visited temples across Odisha as they celebrated the harvest festival of Makar Sankranti Tuesday with religious fervour and enthusiasm.
More than three lakh devotees converged on the pilgrim town of Puri, 56 km from here, and visited the temple of Lord Jagannath to witness the special rituals performed by temple priests on the occasion.
“Long queues of devotees were seen at the temple in the morning,” a senior district police official told IANS.
Devotees also thronged the Puri districts’s beach town Konark and worshipped the Sun God as the sun started its annual shift towards the Earth’s northern hemisphere.
People prepared a special dish made with newly harvested rice, sugar, banana, coconut and black pepper and offered it to the gods. Some exchanged a special dish ‘Makar Chaula’ among themselves.
Tribal groups lit bonfires, danced and organised feasts on the eve of Makar Sankranti in various places of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts. Kite-flying competitions were organised in places like Cuttack and other towns with fun and enthusiasm.
In Ganjam district, which has a sizable Telugu population, people decorated the front of their houses with colourful rangoli and celebrated Pongal.
Braving chilly weather, the devotees began taking the dip at the confluence of the river with the Bay of Bengal, known as Gangasagar, from the early hours on Tuesday.
‘There is a belief that no matter how many times you visit other pilgrimages, your spiritual journey is never complete unless you visit Gangasagar once. That is why I have come here,’ said a youngster.  The devotees believe that a single dip in the sacred water at this time washes off the sins of a lifetime.
Adequate security measures have been put in place. Security personnel are patrolling the entire area and we have put CCTV cameras at strategic places, the Superintendent of Police, South 24 Parganas said.
Sagar Island, about 150 km from Kolkata, sees a massive gathering of people every Makar Sankranti, celebrated each year on January 14. Offerings of coconuts are made at the Kapil Muni temple here. IANS (With inputs from UNI)