Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 14: With Rath Yatra barely days away, temples across the city are pulling out all the stops in ensuring a grand spectacle for devotees.
This year’s Rath Yatra is expected to be held on a gargantuan scale across the state as it coincides with the mega Nabakalebara festival that is held once every 19 years.
Jagannath Temple in Unit-VIII, where the Car Festival is being celebrated since 1972, is a beehive of activity as the temple authorities have decided to build new chariots after a gap of several years. The height of the new chariot has been raised to 32 feet, which earlier used to be 28 feet.
The chariot will begin on its course from the temple and will roll all the way to the Jadeswari temple in Siripur where it will halt for the duration of the festival.
“This year’s Rath Yatra is special for everyone. Since Nabakalebara of the three deities is taking place in Puri, after which this will be the first Rath Yatra of the new idols, we are also very enthusiastic about the event. This year, the temple authority has decided to construct a new chariot for the deities. Around 12 carpenters are working on the chariot to finish it on time. Earlier, the same chariot would be used every year with small modifications and renovation work. The time, we have increased the height of the chariot from 28 feet to 32 feet,” said Dilip Mohanty, member of the temple committee.
Though the temple authority has increased the height of the chariot to make it more attractive and pull large crowds, they are facing stiff resistance from the electricity department. The department has asked the temple authority to bring down the height of the chariot in order to prevent overhead power transmission wires being cut during the pulling of the chariot.
“The electricity department has asked us to reduce the height of the chariot, which is not possible now. We have requested the department to go in for power cuts in areas through which the chariot will be pulled. After the ‘pahandi’, the Rath Yatra will begin at around 3 pm and we’re anticipating the participation of thousands of devotees like last year,” Mohanty said.
Akin to Jagannath Temple, the temple committee of Jambeswar Temple in Old Town area is busy with last-minute preparations for the festival. Jambeswar Rath Yatra is being organised every year since 2005, and is hugely popular in the city as the three chariots of the presiding deities are pulled solely by children of the area.
“We started our own Rath Yatra ten years back, and children are the main participants in it. Fully decked-up chariots of the three deities will be pulled from the Jambeswar temple all the way to the Ganga Jamuna temple. Children from several areas participate in the festival very enthusiastically chanting bhajans,” said Basant Kumar Samartha, one of the organisers of the festival.
“Our Rath Yatra is a bit different from others as around Rs 7 lakh is invested on the procession which includes horse dance, doll dance, and a traditional folk dance which is a major attraction for visitors. Apart from this, we also organise Suna Besa of the three deities on the concluding day of the Rath Yatra”, Samartha said.
“I participate in the Jambeswar Rath Yatra every year. It is a wonderful experience and I’m very enthusiastic about this year as it is going to be much bigger,” said Sukant Mohanty, a 12-year-old boy from Old Town.
