PURI: The three grand chariots are decked up and ready. So is the Grand Road, painted in myriad hues of colours, spreading its arms to carry the Holy Trinity on the annual sojourn. Even as no devotees are allowed at Rath Yatra for the second year running, the chariots and the grand road have been decorated as usual with rangolis, graffiti and flowers. While the road on which the chariots will be pulled by servitors has been painted in white with floral designs, the chariots have been decorated with a variety of colours and pravas (archs).
The decorations on the chariots will be completed on Sunday evening when the deities will issue ‘ajnamallyas’ to the chief carpenters to bring the chariots to Singhadwar and get them ready for the journey. The process of parking the chariots in front of Singhadwar facing towards Gundicha temple will be over by midnight.
Meanwhile, to keep devotees away from the festival and maintain law and order, the pilgrim town is being turned into a heavily protected fortress. As many as 65 platoons of police force along with 500 officers of various ranks will be deployed for the festival. Additional DGP, Law and Order RK Sharma who reviewed the arrangements said, the entire stretch of Grand Road has been divided into four security zones and police personnel deployed on rooftops of private houses, hotels and lodges located alongside the road.
The rest of the town has been divided into eight zones. All entry points to the town have been sealed and Indian Coast Guard vessels and aircraft deployed to patrol the coast. In order to ensure smooth conduct of the festival, the district administration has set up as many as 20 first-aid centres on both sides of the 3 km stretch of Grand Road on both ends of which two large rest sheds have been set up. Around 2,200 servitors have already been tested for Covid-19 and the results are expected by midnight. Only those testing negative will be allowed to pull the chariots after being issued passes by the temple administration.
Hundreds of young servitors, interested in pulling the chariots, have been keeping themselves fit by working out at the Jagaghars (schools of martial arts) since June. The town has around 40 such schools.
Meanwhile, the Gundicha temple has been given a facelift and Saradha Bali refilled with fresh sand. While the entire Grand Road has been blacktopped, only a 500x500 metre patch of the area in front of Nakachanadwar of Gundicha temple (exit gate) has been left untouched to recount the memory of Saradha Bali.
The Gundicha temple is described as ‘Janma bedi’ (birthplace) of the deities in the sacred texts. The lords during their stay in the temple’s Adapa Mandap sample the delicacies called ‘Adapa Abhada’ prepared by their mother. The deities, during the journey stop midway, to taste ‘Podapitha’, a delicacy prepared by their Mausima (aunt). Of the 135 sevas recorded in the record of rights, researcher Dr Bhasker Mishra said, 17 were abolished for various reasons during the course of time. These include Kalabethia Seva, the ritual of conducting the ‘dakshina moda’ of the chariots by labourers who worked without any wages, Kumbhar Seva and Mahari.