All important works start in Odisha on the holy occasion of Akshaya Tritiya: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Sambalpur: Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur Dharmendra Pradhan said that all the sacred works in Odisha start on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya and it is a very auspicious occasion for the people of Odisha. Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Sital Shashthi festival and Sambalpur are connected to each other. People’s devotion has been attached to it since ancient times. Sheetal Shashthi occurs in June. Today, Lord Shiva was worshiped in this ancient temple of Nandpada. Thala ‘Utha’ was done here. All important works begin in Odisha today on the holy occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. He further said that preparations for Sheetal Shashthi begin on the holy occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. He said, “On this day there is no discrimination on the basis of religion or caste. Preparations begin for the divine marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This brings unity and brotherhood in the society.” Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday participated in the ‘Thala Utha’ ritual on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, which marks the beginning of preparations for the upcoming ‘Sital Shashthi’ yatra, at the Balunkeshwar temple in Nandpada under Sambalpur district. To mark the beginning of preparations for the Sital Shashthi Yatra festival, the Thala Utha ritual is performed in Shiva temples in Sambalpur, Odisha. Sital Shashthi Jatra is a popular festival in western Odisha that celebrates the divine marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, also known as Sital Shashthi. This festival has been described in Shiva Purana. During the ‘Thala Utha’ ceremony, ‘puja’ was performed at the temple by the priests in the presence of senior members of the respective areas. Earlier on Thursday, Dharmendra Pradhan expressed confidence that BJP will win all 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections. He further said that people will oust BJD from power in this election. Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections will be held in the state of Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1, with the counting of votes taking place on June 4. In the 2019 assembly elections, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 112 out of 146 seats, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 23 seats and Congress won 9 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won most of the seats in the state, while BJP and Congress trailed behind. BJD won 12 seats, BJP came second on 8 seats and Congress got just one seat.