Suman Mohanty/Sandeep Dwivedy
Post News Network
Cuttack/Phulnakhara, May 17: Lakhs of devotees bade an emotional farewell to the ‘sagadi’ carrying the Jagannath daru as it left Pratap Nagari village off NH-16 for Puri Srimandir Sunday evening after an overnight stay here.
The ‘sagadi’, after a brief stopover at Sai temple at Bidyadharpur of Cuttack, had arrived at Pratap Nagari at 2 am Saturday.
Its arrival catalysed an air of festivity and spirituality as locals welcomed the holy wood to the beatings of drums, cymbals and performance of sankirtan troupes and ululations.
Girls and women were seen making Rangoli on the highway and spread new clothes on NH to welcome the ‘daru’.
The moment the ‘daru’ arrived at Pratap Nagari, lakhs of people could be seen clamouring for its darshan. Notwithstanding scorching summer heat, people were seen making a beeline to have ‘darshan’ of the ‘daru’ from Saturday late night till Sunday evening.
Elaborate security arrangements were made by the Commissionerate Police for the smooth journey of the ‘daru’. As many as 32 platoons of police were deployed at Cuttack as well as the NH for the purpose.
Commuters had a harrowing time as the ‘daru’ reached Balikuda Chhak. The traffic between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar came to a standstill over Kathajodi bridge. Passersby had to face a grueling time. It took nearly three hours for people to reach the state capital.
Small vehicles and two-wheelers had to take a diversion from Gopalpur village which joins NH-16 near Pratap Nagari. In the process, they had to traverse an additional distance of nearly seven kms.
Several commuters could be seen complaining about lack of alternate arrangements for smooth flow of traffic on the arterial road.
There were some who chanted slogans in the praise of Lord Jagannath and did not mind the inconvenience.
Samarth Mohanty, a marketing executive, said “The police and the district administration could have delayed the movement till traffic thinned out.” On the other hand, Sanjib Panda, a doctor, had a sympathetic word for the administration.
“The district administration has its own compulsions and such occasions come rarely,” Panda said.
Ramachandra Dasmahapatra, president of Daita Niyog in Puri Srimandir, accompanying the holy wood, said the procession will make an overnight stay at Pandra on Nabakalebara road on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar Sunday and the procession will resume its onward journey Monday.
As the sagdi rolled on the National Highway, residents of adjoining
villages of Nuagad, Telengapentha, Ramnagar, Nuapatna, Bamphakud, Mugabhanga, Kachramal and Phulnakhra flocked to the road and were seen standing on its both sides bidding adieu to the ‘daru’.