Keonjhar: The car festival of Lord Baladevjew in Keonjhar district could not be performed twice.
According to scholars, on one occasion the annual affair could not be performed as the idols could not be given fresh paint, while in another instance it was stalled owing to a meeting of Bhuiyan community.
“At that juncture, the Chitrakar servitors used to stay at Sadar block’s Mahadeijoda. They could not reach near the chariot due to an untimely rain. Due to the lapse, the king punished the servitors. Irked over the punishment, the servitors refrained from their service. As a result, even if the deities were taken onto the chariot, the car festival could not be celebrated. In a bid to avoid reoccurrence of such incidents, the then king brought a few servitor families to Old Market area,” said curator Sujit Patnaik.
About the second instance, Patnaik said the Rath Yatra in the tribal-dominated district is linked to the Bhuyian community. The car festival could not be done owing to a meeting of the community.
PNN