Puri, Nov 6: After completing their month-long Kartika rituals, Habisyalis began returning home on Wednesday with tearful goodbyes. The women performed their final Chaura Puja and floated paper boats (danga bhasa) in the Narendra pond before vacating their rooms.

Family members waited outside the camps to receive them, as volunteers assisted in carrying luggage and managing security checks. At some camps, due to safety concerns, the midnight danga bhasa ritual was conducted inside camp tanks, while women from Vrundabati Nivas were allowed to perform it at the nearby Narendra Tank.

An emotional scene unfolded as the Habisyali mothers hugged friends, exchanged contact numbers, and bid farewell to volunteers. By Wednesday afternoon, all devotees had departed, ending their month of devotion and discipline in the holy city.