Bhawanipatna: The road connecting Manikeshwari temple here with National Highway-26 acquired a tinge of red as thousands of animals and birds were sacrificed on the occasion of the famous Chhatar Yatra Thursday.
Manikeshwari is the presiding deity of Bhawanipatna and is revered by people in and outside of the state.
The focus of the traditional festival is the ‘Chhatar’, a representative form of the deity. It will be heavily garlanded with flowers and Bel leaves before being taken out in a procession to the beats of dhols, conches, ghumra, nishans and other traditional instruments. Devotees attending the festival pay their obeisance to the deity by sacrificing animals upon fulfilment of their wishes. The same practice continued this year also.
Observers claimed that the devotees sacrificing the animals comprising hens, pigeons, goats and sheep notwithstanding the court order are a sad commentary on the rule of law.
Nevertheless, no untoward incident was reported during the festival as the administration and police stood helpless and watched the sacrifice of animals as their bid to stop the gory practice fell flat.
Earlier, in its bid to implement the Supreme Court and High Court order, the district administration had organised awareness programmes to stop animal sacrifice during the festival.
Sources said devotees had sacrificed the animals and birds on both sides of a three-km stretch of road from Jenakhal near NH-26 to Manikeshwari temple and other roads to propitiate the deity.
The festival began after the ‘Mahabali’ rituals in front of the deity followed by a buffalo sacrifice in the temple of Budharaja (Bhairav) on the occasion of Mahastami, late Wednesday night.
Later, priest Tirupati Mishra carrying the Chhatar proceeded to Jenakahal on the west of the town. The Chhatar Yatra began after completion of a goat sacrifice post some secret rituals. Devotees rising above caste, creed and community stood with folded hands on both sides of the road and offered animals as sacrifice as the Chhatar proceeded from Jenakhal to the main temple in a procession. Various cultural troupes performed during the procession.
As the Chhatar reached the temple, Kalahandi royal Udit Pratap Deo and prince Anant Pratap Deo welcomed it inside the temple with the blowing of conch and ululations.
Collector Anjan Kumar Manik, SP Sandip Madakar, ADM Chandramani Gadnaik and district and police officials supervised the festival. PNN