In Odisha, Jatni is famous for its Ganesh Puja and firecrackers during Diwali. I belong to Jatni, so no one better than me to guide you on how people celebrate Ganesh Puja here with important pandals, Meenabazar, etc.
Jatni is a small town in the Khordha district and just 20km away from Bhubaneswar. Although Khordha town is 10km from Jatni, still you know Jatni station as Kurda Road Junction. In recent years Jatni also emerged as an educational hub due to some premier institutes like NISER, IIT, and Xavier.
In this post, we will explain the complete 13-day journey of the Jatni Ganesh Puja celebration 2019.
Jatni Ganesh Mahotsav 2023
Ganesh puja is celebrated as the birthday of the elephant-headed, Lord Ganesh (son of Lord Shiva & Mata Parvati). There is no fixed date of the festival, according to the Lunar calendar, it is observed between late August and early September. The festival is celebrated for 13 days (11 days in Mumbai).
This year Ganesh Puja starts on 2nd September and celebrated till 14th September with grand Bhasani Jatra.
Various puja committees, clubs, and individual colonies organize their events across Jatni with more than 20 Ganesh pandals at important marketplaces and colonies. Along with various Ganesh pandals, you also enjoy the Meenabazar, cultural events, Jatra (Opera) & many more. That’s why the celebration is named “Jatni Ganesh Mahotsav”.
Brief History
There is no evidence of when Ganesh Puja was celebrated in Jatni but it is said that a shopkeeper named Dinabandhu Sahoo first worshiped Ganesh murti in his shop during puja. This was followed by the other shopkeepers and over time, it’s getting bigger and grander. Then other things like Meena Bazar, jatra parties, and melodies are included. For the last 12 years, it has been named as”Jatni Ganesh Mahotsav”.
Jatani Ganesh Puja Medha 2023
As I told you earlier Ganesh puja is famous in Jatni, and you will find Ganesh medha in every marketplace, colony, lane, organisation, Institute etc.
Here are some important ganesh pandals you must visit; Haribhaina Chhaka, Post Office Chhaka, Sitaram Chhaka, Thana Chhaka, Raja Bazaar, Bada Bazaar, Macha Market, Golei Market.
Along with puja pandals, you also enjoy beautiful lighting decorations and gates. After visiting so many Ganesh pandals, now it’s time to explore Meena Bazaar.
Jatni Meenabazar 2023
Meena Bazaar starts on the next day of Ganesh Puja. This year, Meena Bazaar was organized at two places, one at Sarat Paikaray Stadium and the other at Sujatananda Field. During Ganesh Puja, there was a lot of rain for 5-6 days, but still a large number of people came to visit Meena Bazaar every day.
People from other districts came here to sell their goods and people also get a wide range of items like carpets, sharee, jewelry, leather products, silverware, handicrafts, cosmetics, household products in one place.
For amusement, you can explore Ram Doli, Death Well, Breakdance, Dragon Train, etc. Meena Bazar is incomplete without food. You have the option to taste various mouth-watering street foods.
Jatani Ganesh Puja Bhasani 2023
The last day of the Ganesh festival is known as Ganesh Visarjan where ganesh clays are immersed in water. On this day, all the Ganesh idols are decorated with flowers, fabrics, and lights carried out of the pandals and gathered at Sitaram chhaka where it is taken for immersion.
The devotees gather in large numbers to worship, pray, and watch Bhasani Jatra. During the procession, people are singing, dancing to the beats of the large drums, music and urging him to come back again next year.
Ganapati Bappa Morya