DHENKANAL: It was the longest immersion ceremony that went on for 14 hours. The ceremony began on Friday night with the procession of Pala Mandap along with 29 bullocks exquisitely decorated for the occasion. The procession passed through Gujirihata, Gopalmandap, Durga Chhak, Bania Sahi and across Bhuban town . Unlike last year, the bullock festival drew a crowd of one lakh who witnessed the Ravan Podi before the immersion ceremony. There was a flurry of activities all through the night with the air reverberating with devotional music. The Durga idols reached Nua Bazar on Saturday afternoon. The idols were immersed in Durga Sagar.The 150 years old tradition binds the villagers together with families and their relatives chipping in to make it a grand affair. Every family spends no less than `50,000 on the decoration of the bullocks. “What Durga Puja is to Cuttack, the bullock festival is to Bhuban. It remains a major attraction during Dussehra with people traveling to the village to participate in the unique tradition,” said Bhudha Guru, a villager.The Thorias had started the festival when the bullocks were the only means of transportation and used for trading by the community, Guru added. The police administration had made elaborate security arrangement to make the festival a smooth affair.
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