A devotee carrying Sakthi Patam during the procession at Edepalli in Machilipatnam.

Machilipatnam, October 14, 2013: A century-old unique way of celebrating Dasara, processions of Sakthi Patam, has become an integral part of the Machilipatnam culture and still flourishing as it gained acceptance among the devotees. The traditional practice is that the devotees, only men, take oath to take the deity out on a day-long procession on the streets with the Sakthi Patam.

The Sakthi Patam, a wooden idol carved in the shape of Kali is virtually five to six feet high and designed in a balancing architectural style for devotees to be able to carry it. The person who carries it is attired like Kali, carrying knife in the hand and wearing mask of Kali on his head. It also contains Lord Hanuman painted on its backside.

This year, from October 5, the port town has been literally agog with excitement as the Sakthi Patam processions were being carried out by the devotees 24x7, marking celebration of Dasara on a par with Kolkata. “The inimitable style of the ritual can be found nowhere in Andhra Pradesh as well as other Indian cities. The Patam’s style was designed by a soldier B. Buddhu Singh, who arguably introduced it in Machilipatnam after he watched the celebrations in Kolkata,” Mr. Buddhu’s grandchild Hara Prasad Singh told The Hindu .

In Kolkata, men decorate themselves as Kali. The soldier had started the celebrations at Edepalli, where a Sakthi temple was built and became the centre of the Dasara celebrations here. “The priest, the nine-year-old child and the temple committee members offered prayers to the deity Kanaka Durga in Rudrabhumi, a local cemetery, on October 5 and started the celebrations,” according to the temple committee members.

The priest performs the navaratri puja at the temple. Next day, they brought the Sakthi Patam to the temple and started the festival which would conclude on Dasara night (October 14) at the Koneru Centre.

Source: The Hindu, October 14, 2013