Sambalpur: A maha aarti was performed on the banks of river Mahanadi near Maa Samaleswari Temple, the most revered shrine in the western Odisha.
The aarti was performed this evening after the inauguration of the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The evening aarti was performed in a spiritual atmosphere in the presence of hundreds of devotees. 5T Chairman Kartik Pandian also participated in the ritual and offered his prayers to the deity.
One of the major attractions of SAMALEI project is the Arati Ghat developed at the Mahanadi riverfront which is 350 meters long and 25 meters wide. A 31-meter-wide platform has been made for the purpose of evening arati.
The Samaleswari Temple on the banks of the Mahanadi has undergone a transformation over 39 acres of its peripheral area under the SAMALEI project.