Mahalaya is observed on the Amavasya day in the Hindu month of Ashwin or Ashwayuja (September-October). Mahalaya 2026 date is October 10, Saturday. Time is 8:58 PM on October 9 and ends at 8:33 PM on October 10. The last day of Pitru Paksha fortnight, the period sacred for doing rituals and offering oblations to the souls of the departed ancestors, ends on Mahalaya day. Durga Puja rituals also commence on Mahalaya day. The rituals and rites on Mahalaya day are performed early morning on riverbanks or on seashore. The main offering made on Mahalaya Paksha to ancestors is food. It is believed that the offering made during this period will benefit all the departed souls. Charity in the form of food is also done by people. Shradh on Mahalaya can be performed to all those who departed from the world on any day or anytime. The ritual can be performed by both men and women. It is one of the way of showing one's profound sense of gratitude to the departed souls for their blessings...

Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity in Sambalpur Samaleswari temple in Odisha, remains dressed in red costume round the year except on Mahalaya when it changes to white. Dhabalamukhi Besha 2026 date is October 10. The Dhabalamukhi Besha, also referred to as Ganga Darshan, is followed by Navaratri which goes on for nine days with Goddess Samaleswari taking on several incarnations of Goddess Durga.  Goddess Samaleswari adorns the ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ only for two and half days in a year while during the rest of the year, she dons her usual red avatar. Goddess will remain in ‘Dhabalamukhi Besha’ till the end of Mahalaya Amavasya tithi. Preparation for this ‘Besha’ starts in midnight of Mahalaya and continue till 4 am following which the doors of the temple are opened at 5 am for the devotees for ‘darshan’. On the first day of Navaratri, the Goddess adorns the ‘Shailaputri Besha’ followed by ‘Brahmacharini’ the next day. Subsequently, the Goddess assumes the incarnation...