Adhering to an age-old tradition, hundreds of devotees and followers of the Shakti cult immersed around 18 earthen idols of Maa Durga, with the immersion procession being held on boats in the Hansua river at the riverside villages in Odisha’s Kendrapara district on Monday.

Boatmen, priests, and devotees rowed the boats along the riverbank from one riverside village to another, as hundreds of villagers offered coconuts and garlands to bid farewell to the Goddess.

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A large congregation gathered on the riverbanks and the bridge over the Hansua River to witness the immersion procession of the deities on boats.

The tradition of carrying the deities on boats during the immersion day is an age-old practice in the coastal villages of the Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district.

In the past, devotees used to swim in the river to reach the boats and worship the deities. However, for the past two decades, devotees have refrained from entering the water as the river is now populated with saltwater crocodiles.

The river is connected to the water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park, and crocodiles often stray from the park into the Hansua River in Rajnagar, according to local residents.

The Rajnagar area is crisscrossed with rivers and creeks. In the past, due to a lack of bridge connectivity, Puja committees used boats to carry the deities from one village to another, allowing devotees to bid farewell.

Although the area is now well connected with paved roads and bridges, villagers continue to observe the tradition by worshiping Maa Durga on boats during the immersion day, locals added.