BARGARH: To ensure safety of devotees attending the six-day long Baisakha Mela, the Sri Sri Nrusinghnath Temple Trust has secured an insurance coverage of Rs 5.40 crore for the festival. This means each participating devotee is covered for accidents and calamities during the event, marking it a first for the temple to have opted for such a social security measure.
The Baisakha Mela, hosted at the Nrusinghnath Temple near Paikmal, is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Nrusingha. It will take place from May 7 to May 12 this year.
On March 28, the temple trust resolved to get an insurance cover for Baisakha Mela and approached United India Insurance Company for a quote. After several rounds of negotiations, the insurance company offered a coverage of Rs 5.40 crore against a premium of Rs 1,57,648 for the six-day festival. The premium was paid on April 29, and the insurance cover was successfully secured, said sources.
Hiramani Bhoi, a local resident and lawyer who negotiated on behalf of the temple trust, said, “Every person who steps into the temple during the Baisakha Mela will be covered under insurance during the six days. The coverage will be for Rs 7,50,000 per head in the case of accidental death on the temple premises, regardless of their age, gender, or any other criteria.”
The Baisakha Mela is celebrated from Triyodasi to Purnima in the month of Baisakha, and includes a holy dip at Gokunda Ghat, believed to absolve devotees of their sins. Devotees from Chhattisgarh, in particular, treat the water at Gokunda Ghat as sacred.
The festival is a grand occasion, drawing devotees from across Odisha as well as neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The temple, located at the foothills of Gandhamardan Hill, is expecting more than one lakh visitors during the festival. The temple trust decided to arrange insurance for the event for the first time this year.
To ensure smooth operations during the festival, the temple trust has made full arrangements for drinking water facilities and first aid. Local police has been asked to deploy an adequate number of personnel to maintain law and order throughout the event.
The decision to insure the festival highlights the growing importance of public liability coverage at major religious events.
Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri insures its Rath Yatra, while Sabarimala Temple provides accidental death cover during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. Similarly, Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram offers insurance for the Pongala festival, and both Lalbaugcha Raja and Dagdusheth Ganapati temples in Pune provide coverage during Ganeshotsav.
This initiative by the Nrusinghnath Temple Trust has set a significant precedent for other temples in the region, ensuring the safety and well-being of lakhs of devotees attending the festival.