Bhograi: In what came as a bad news for devotees, the district administration and the Trust Board have decided to cancel the 13-day Chadak Mela at Chandaneswar temple here in Balasore district this year too due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The 13-day long Chadak Mela has been cancelled for the third year in a row. An emergency meeting of the district level officials, temple servitors, trust board members and some intellectuals was held at the block conference hall.
As per the decision, entry of devotees will be banned but rituals will be conducted as usual. “As large gathering poses threat to the outbreak of Covid-19, it has been decided that only rituals will be performed to keep the age-old custom alive,” an official said.
Worth mentioning, thousands of devotees from various parts of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal throng the shrine to take part in North Odisha’s biggest festival which is traditionally observed from April 1 to 13 every year.
The famous fair, which is celebrated on the premises of Chandaneswar temple during Maha Bisuva Sankrati, attracts lakhs of devotees from in and outside the State.
The special characteristic of the fair is that devotees pierce their body with iron nail and dance barefoot under the scorching heat in a grand procession.
It is believed that Lord Shiva is pleased with such penance and showers blessings on devotees.
