Cuttack: In an age of towering idols, elaborate pandals and competition for spectacle, Bania Sahi in Cuttack continues to hold on to its centuries-old tradition of Budha Ganesh Puja. Believed to be among the city’s oldest, the Budha Ganesh Puja is less about grandeur and more about faith, community and a tradition passed down through generations.Shibendra Kumar Hati, president of the Budha Ganesh Puja Committee, said the tradition dates back nearly 400 years. The custom has since spread to other parts of Cuttack, with around 30 to 40 puja committees now installing Budha Ganesh idols.According to Hati, the tradition began with the elders of the Sahi, or Murabhis. Devotees who seek the deity’s blessings make a wish and, if it is fulfilled, offer to take charge of the puja the following year. “Every year, people make wishes before the deity and whoever’s wish comes true offers to take charge of the Ganesh Puja celebration here. This tradition has been followed for decades,” he said.Those whose wishes are fulfilled offer a saree to Budha Ganesh and take on the role of the karta, performing the rituals and shouldering the responsibility of organising the puja. The tradition is so deeply rooted that the names of those scheduled to serve as kartas have already been recorded up to 2060.“It is not necessary that everyone should have the money to conduct all the rituals. If someone cannot afford it, we ask them to simply offer a saree to the Lord according to their capacity,” Hati said.The celebration also has a culinary tradition. Before the idol is immersed, devotees offer ‘ghanta tarkari’, a mixed-vegetable curry, along with ‘kanika’ (sweet rice) and ‘Kheeri’ to the deity. The distinctive offering has earned Budha Ganesh another name – Ghanta Khia Ganesh. “This year, we are preparing the prasad on Oct 6 for nearly 5,000 devotees,” Hati said.The festival also brings devotees from outside Odisha. And when the celebrations conclude with immersion, the community comes together one last time, with ladoos distributed among locals by the organising committee.
