Janmashtami observed amid high security in Phulbani

The local district administration also remained alert to prevent any potential disturbances on the day.

A girl carries Lord Krishna at Jaraka in Jaipur district

PHULBANI/JEYPORE : Janmashtami, which also marked the 16th death anniversary of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati, was observed at Jalespata and Chakapad ashrams on Monday.

The festivities at Jalespata Ashram included a series of spiritual programmes, including the Kalasa yatra, yajna and a puja dedicated to the sacred cow. The VHP leader’s death anniversary is also observed as Balidan Divas.

Ministers Rabi Narayan Naik and Suryabansi Suraj, along with MP Sukanta Panigrahi, attended the event at Jalespata Ashram. They were joined by various saints and activists from VHP and Bajrang Dal to pay tributes to Laxmanananda Saraswati.

Jiban Muktananda, the head of the Jalespata Ashram, appealed to the state government to upgrade the ashram’s girls’ Sanskrit school, which currently offers education upto class 10 to be upgraded to post-graduate level.

He also expressed anguish that the individuals responsible for Laxmanananda Saraswati’s murder remains unidentified. Muktananda praised the law minister’s decision to reopen the murder investigation and urged the state government to release the findings of two inquiry commission reports, one by Justice Basudev Panigrahi and another by Justice Sarat Chandra Mahapatra.

The local district administration also remained alert to prevent any potential disturbances on the day.

IG Jai Narayan Pankaj and SP Suvendu Kumar Patra reviewed security arrangements. To ensure safety, 26 platoons of police forces were deployed across the district, with increased patrolling on routes leading to the ashram and heightened security at major and vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, in Koraput, a large number of devotees from both within and outside the district gathered at the Sabarsrikhetra Jagannath Temple for Janmastami on Monday.

From the early hours, devotees lined up to have a glimpse of the Trinity and participate in the rituals. Special ceremonies were conducted by the temple’s sevayats, and celebrations continued throughout the day.

Similar scenes were observed at the ISKCON Temple in Sunabeda and the Chaitanya Temple in Jeypore.