PURI: The coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. This year, Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His siblings Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra is scheduled to be held on June 23 and Bahuda Yatra on July 2. After the ‘Rath Katha Anukula’ ceremony on January 30, the Forest Department began supplying timber for construction of the three massive chariots that would carry the Trinity to their aunt’s house, the Gundicha temple.
The last consignment of logs arrived at the Bada Danda (Grand road) on Monday. As per tradition, slicing of the wooden logs should begin on April 2 on the occasion of Ram Navami and construction of chariots would commence from Akshya Trutiya which falls on April 26. The logs are sliced in a saw mill at Khapuria in Cuttack. However, with the district border sealed due to the lockdown, doubts are being raised over transportation of the logs to Cuttack for the purpose.
Member of temple managing body and senior servitor, Ramchandra Dasmahapatra is, however, optimistic. He said the lockdown will have no impact on the timber slicing or Chariot festival. Dasmahapatra is hopeful that the pandemic will end in the first week of April with the Badi Nrusingha, a deity worshipped as protector against various diseases, coming out of the Srimandir on Sunday to cure His devotees. Other servitors of the temple said the celebration of Rath Yatra will depend on the severity of coronavirus outbreak and the State Government should have a final say on it.
The Biswakarmas (head carpenters) of the three chariots added that construction work would progress as per direction of the administration. A noted scholar on Jagannath culture, Dr Surendra Mishra said Rath Yatra can be stopped this year if the situation requires. In the history of Srimandir, Rath Yatras were not held when Islamic invaders attacked the temple and the deities had to be shifted to Sonepur, deserted islands of Chilika and other places for their safety.
In one instance, Mishra said, the deities were buried for 144 years at Sonepur by priests of the temple to save them from ‘Raktabahu’ during the rule of Shovan Dev. Meanwhile, the statutory annual budget meeting of temple managing body was held through video conferencing on Sunday because of the lockdown. A sub-committee headed by the temple chief administrator Krishan Kumar held the meeting and passed a three month interim budget till May. This apart, it was resolved to create a `5 cr Sri Jagannath Corona Fund and devotees would be approached to donate. The money will be donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to fight the pandemic.