KENDRAPARA: The hot and sultry spell on Tuesday halted the march of ‘Brahmataladhwaja’ chariot of Kendrapara’s Baladevjew temple, disrupting the age-old tradition at Tulasi Khetra.The 65-foot high chariot could not roll on the day as a large number of devotees skipped the festival due to intense heat wave conditions.
Executive officer of Baladevjew temple Balabhadra Patri said the chariot was not pulled by devotees. But it will reach Gundicha temple on Wednesday. A priest of Baladevjew temple Prasant Suar said monsoon clouds usually reach the coastal Kendrapara district by the first week of June. But there is little sign of the rain-bearing cloud. Due to the heat wave, a large number of devotees skipped the Rath Yatra on the day.
Sources said many devotees who went to participate in chariot pulling, faced a lot of difficulties due to the hot and dry weather conditions. Kendrapara sub-collector Niranjan Behera said the district administration had made elaborate arrangements keeping in view the hot and humid weather conditions.
“We deployed fire services personnel to sprinkle water on devotees. Besides, 10 ambulances and health teams were kept ready to provide medical assistance to devotees,” he added.