manish kumar, post news network, Raghurajpur, July 17: With the Rath Yatra barely a few hours away, many villagers from the heritage village of Raghurajpur have flocked to Puri to get a glimpse of the Trinity during the grand Yatra, Saturday.
Many devotees believe that it would not be apt for the villagers to not visit Puri during the grand festival, keeping in mind the proximity of the village to the Lord’s abode. Meanwhile, the villagers for the last one month had been toiling hard to make some artefacts based on the Jagannath culture.
“I have made some small wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subdadhra. During the Rath Yatra season demand of such idols surges. So we try to meet the cascading demand. We have also made some pattachitra paintings of the Trinity in different sizes,” said 60-year-old Maghuni Mahapatra.
The other villagers had similar tales to tell. 28-year-old Keshav Maharana said, “For us taking part in the Rath Yatra is sacrosanct. Our family and most of the families living here often go to take part in the grand festival to pay tributes to the Lord. We believe that we ought to go to the holy place as it is close to our village. Moreover, people from different parts of the globe come to Puri. There is no question of us not attending it.” The occasion no doubt also gives the residents of Ragurajpur, a village well known for its artists, craftsmen and art, a chance to reach out to prospective buyers from all over the country, if not the world.
Keshav, who is also an expert in palm leaf and papier mache art, has made some paintings on foldable palm leaves to sell to some of the prospective customers during the Rath Yatra. His and his family’s tryst with the almighty has now been an annual ritual.
Veterans from the village too have jumped onto the bandwagon of those who want to do something new for the Lord during the auspicious occasion of the Nabakalebara. 61-year-old Khetro Maharana said, “I have been working on some small idols of Lord Jagannath to sell those to some devotees visiting Puri on the auspicious day. Besides, the pattachitra paintings, small toys, etc. are also being made especially for the festival.”
When asked if he would take part in the Rath Yatra, he said, “We will feel like we have done some sin if we don’t visit the temple and pay our tribute to the God. It is a ritual now for us to visit Puri during the Rath Yatra.”
In order to avoid the inconvenience and rush during the Rath Yatra day, many from the village have already moved to Puri to ensure they get a hassle-free glimpse of the Trinity.