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Balakati/Puri, April 12: Gadakantunia hamlet along Old Jagannath Sadak near Balakati was witness to a massive congregation of devotees Sunday after a neem tree, considered most sacred and suitable for carving out idol of Lord Sudarshan containing holy symbols – a conch, a mace, a lotus and a wheel— was spotted.
According to Daitapati Niyog president Ramakrushna Das Mohapatra, the Banajaga team spotted the tree which was barricaded on the bank of River Kuakhai to ensure that it is not damaged and the devotees would be able to have a ‘darshan’ from a safe distance. The team will leave Deuli mutt April 14 eveningn and reach Gadakantunia.
A ritual called ‘Ankuraropana’ would be performed the next day and yagya April 16 and 17. Purnahuti of the yagya is scheduled for April 18 when the neem tree would be felled. The Banajaga team will carry the logs in the ‘sagadi’ (cart) to Puri April 19, Das Mohapatra added.
Earlier, the Srimandir administration officials, chief temple administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, police commissioner Rajendra Prasad Sharma and other top officials reached the village, two kilometres away from Balakati.
Twenty-four platoons of police forces were deployed at the site to maintain law and order. A 24-hour control room has also been set up at the spot.
The tree has all the divine attributes required for Lord Sudarshan’s idol. The river, an anthill near the tree and a graveyard at a stone’s throw are the other symbolic landmarks which match the best location for the holy tree or Daru. This apart, the famous Chousathi Jogini temple is situated close to a Shiv temple at the spot – the other criteria for Sudarshan’s daru.
Meanwhile, steps have been taken to provide electricity and drinking water facility to the place. The land has been made even by demolishing a mandap and the work for ‘Sabarpalli’ has begun.
Information about the ‘darus’ of other deities Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra would be available in the next few days, temple sources said.
Banajaga Jatra is the journey for search of holy wood from neem trees for preparing new idols of the three deities of Srimandir. More Page 5
