Bhubaneswar, Nov. 1 -- The sacred Panchuka Brata commenced at famous shrines across Odisha, including at Baba Dhabaleswar Peeth in Cuttack on Saturday, drawing a large crowd of devotees early on Saturday morning. On the first day, Baba appeared in the Ashutosh Besha. This year, as Panchuka falls over four days instead of five, Baba will appear in five different attires during these days.

A temple priest shared, "The Lord's Dwara Phita Niti was conducted at 3:00 am, following that, his ceremonial bath with 108 pitchers of fragrant water was also done. After the completion of rituals such as Mangala Alati and the offering of Balya Bhoga, devotees were allowed to have darshan of the Lord."

In view of the large gathering, the police adminis...