Bhubaneswar: The annual Chhatar Jatra of Maa Manikeswari, the presiding deity of Kalahandi, was celebrated with great fervour, attracting thousands of devotees from within the district and beyond, including neighbouring states.

As part of the centuries-old tradition, a large number of animals and birds were slaughtered in full public view during the Puja celebrations. Every Mahastami, the 8th day of the annual Durga Puja, the streets of Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town of tribal dominated Kalahandi in Odisha, turn blood-stained as people, both tribal and non-tribals, sacrifice animals in full public view and in the presence of the administration, as part of their tradition.

The festivities began early in the morning when Goddess Manikeswari’s ‘Vijay Chhatar’ emerged from Jen

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