Week-long festivities have begun at the world famous leaning Huma temple on the occasion of Mahashivaratri. The biggest attraction is the mela that is thronged by thousands of devotees who come to the temple. It is a big market for rural folks living in areas bordering Sambalpur and Sonepur districts. Though there is no direct bus communication to the temple, buses plying between Sambalpur and Sonepur touch the temple area during festivals.
The mela at Huma is a big draw because the marriage season starts after Mahashivaratri and all kinds of goods like furniture, utensils are sold at the mela. “I was waiting for the mela to buy household goods for my daughter’s marriage. Goods are also cheaper here,” Purander Seth of Ulunda village said.
Traders also come to sell their goods at this mela. “I have been coming to the mela to sell wooden beds for the past 12 years. It is a good place and people love to buy from here,” a businessman from Uttar Pradesh said. Elaborate police arrangements have been made to maintain law and order during week-long festival.
