KENDRAPARA: Rains marred Rath Yatra celebration in Kendrapara town which experienced heavy showers on Sunday. While the change in weather dampened festive spirits of devotees, it also had a cascading effect on businessmen who had planned to make a killing on the day.
Earlier in the day, the world’s second biggest chariot ‘Brahmataladhwaja’ of Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara, also known as Tulasi Khetra, rolled out amid the showers.
Riding on the colourful 64-foot long wooden chariot, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra began their nine-day sojourn to Gundicha temple, situated 2 km from the temple.
Executive Officer of Baladevjew temple Balabhadra Patri said, "The chariot was pulled by devotees for a few yards on Sunday afternoon. The chariot will reach Mausima temple on Monday.’’
Several parts of the coastal district experienced heavy rains in the morning due to formation of a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal. The rains played spoilsport with the plans of devotees who had gathered to pull the chariot. Many people, who went to pull the chariot, were caught unawares in the sudden downpour.
“The rains came down heavily on Sunday and our customary visit to the Rath Yatra turned out to be a wet one,” said a devotee Bijaya Parida.
“We wanted to pull the chariot but the rain played havoc with our plans,” said Gita Samal, a Class VII student.
The rains also affected the business in the region, said Manas Sahoo, a hotel owner. “The showers have hit us badly. While our sales dropped, the goods were also damaged. This is not a Rath Yatra we wished for,” said Bijaya Patri, a sweet stall owner.
Stalls near Baladevjew temple wore a deserted look throughout the day. ‘’The change in weather caused a huge mess and resulted in losses for traders. Rains washed away the fun from Rath Yatra celebration,’’ said Haripada Moharana, a seller of earthen idols of Icchapur village.
The rains also affected Rath Yatra celebrations in other areas as people were forced to stay indoors. In Badahat, Kakat, Old Bus Stand, Santasahi, Tinumuhani, Mahipala and Balagandi, lanes and streets were flooded due to shoddy drainage system.
Chariots to roll out in Baripada today
Baripada: Devotees thronged the Grand Road at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district during Pahandi Bije of the Trinity on Sunday. The servitors performed ‘’pahandi’’ rituals before the deities rode on to the chariots. The Pahandi Bije of the Trinity started at around 4.30 pm. Durga Charan Jeetbabu, the representative of the King, performed the ‘chherapahanra’. The Grand Road reverberated with devotional songs, music and religious chants. For the first time, tribal dance was also performed during “pahandi.” The district administration and endowment officer of Haribaldevjew Temple said all rituals were performed by the servitors during the Pahandi Bije successfully. Devotees were allowed to worship the deities on the chariots after Pahandi Bije. IIC of Baripada Town police station Amit Biswal said besides police force, NSS, Scouts and other volunteers from different organisations were roped in to maintain discipline on the Grand Road during “pahandi.” Baripada car festival is celebrated for 13 days. Here, only women devotees pull the chariot of Devi Subhadra. The chariots of the Trinity will roll out on Monday.
50,000 take part in Rath Yatra celebration in Keonjhar
Keonjhar: At least 50,000 devotees participated in Rath Yatra celebration at Keonjhar on Sunday. Deities began their journey to Gundicha temple in a single chariot the height of which was 74 feet and width 45 feet. The car festival is being celebrated with different traditional methods by the tribal community for the last 400 years. The royal scion of Keonjhar Dhananjay Narayan Bhanja Deo performed the ‘chherapahanra’. The chariot pulling began at 5.15 pm and the deities reached Gundicha Temple at 6.20 pm. Collector N Thirumala Naik, SP Rajesh Pandit, Addl District Magistrate BC Pradhan and Sub Collector-cum-Executive Officer Debottar Purna Chandra Mishra were present during the festival. As many as eight platoons of Odisha Armed Police, two platoons of CRPF, 35 Sub-Inspectors (SI) and Assistant SI, one platoon of female police personnel, homeguards and four DSPs were deployed for smooth conduct of the festival.
Lawyers’ body organises social service camp
Bhubaneswar: With an objective of providing assistance to pilgrims of Rath Yatra, the Bhubaneswar Bar Association on Sunday organised a social service camp at Cuttack-Puri by-pass road. The pilgrims were provided drinking water, ORS solution, food items and medical assistance at the camp, which was held near Shirdi Sai Temple. A large number of lawyers participated in the camp, Patha Pranta Shivir, which was supported by Advocate Welfare Trust, Odisha. This is the fourth consecutive year that the lawyers’ body has organised the Rath Yatra pilgrim assistance centre. “We supplied over 9,000 litres of drinking water, 5,000 biscuit packets and 100 litres of milk to the pilgrims proceeding to Puri. Besides, medical aid and free medicines were also provided,” senior lawyer Silabhadra Sastry said.Khurda District and Sessions Judge Radha Krishna Patnaik, Police Commissioner YB Khurania, Bhubaneswar Bar Association president Jahidur Rehman, secretary Tapas Ranjan Das, Advocates’ Welfare Trust Chairman Nirmal Kishore Patnaik and member Chitta Ranjan Das participated.
Car festival celebrated at Bhawanipatna
Bhawanipatna: Thousands of people pulled the chariot from Jagannath temple to Mausima temple on Sunday. On the occasion, District Sanskruti Parishad organised ‘Bhajan Samaroha’. The car festival was also celebrated at Balaji temple and New Jagannath temple of Karanpita. Similarly, hundreds of tribals thronged Subhadra Pitha of Jugsai Patna to pull the chariot. The festival was also observed at Pipla. The temple at Pipla is opened only during Rath Yatra period and remains closed for the rest of the year.