Bhubaneswar: Rukuna Rath Yatra, the annual chariot festival of Lord Lingaraj, which is scheduled to be conducted April 20, will be done so without devotees, sources said Thursday. This is being done to prevent social gathering keeping in mind the steep rise in new COVID-19 cases especially in the state capital.
Only the servitors of the shrine will be allowed to pull the chariot. Others who can be present on the occasion are police personnel and district administration officials.
A blueprint detailing the modalities for the festival was prepared in a meeting Thursday which was conducted by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary. Also present in the meeting were representatives of the four Nijogs of the shrine, temple committee members, officials of police and district administrations.
“We requested the BMC to grant permission for Rukuna Rath Yatra which would uphold the legacy of Lord Lingaraj. The BMC will send the proposal to the Odisha government. We have assured that only 20-25 servitors will be present on the chariot. The Rath Yatra will be a two-day affair instead of five days and devotees will not be allowed to take part. The chariot will be pulled by police personnel or the servitors,” said secretary of Brahman Nijog, Biranchi Narayan Pati after the meeting.
BMC Additional Commissioner Laxmikant Sethi said that a blueprint has been prepared to conduct the programme. “We have also made RT-PCR tests mandatory for all taking part in the rituals. The proposal has been sent to the state government. Only after approval, we will take a final decision to observe the festival,” Sethi informed. Last year, the function was cancelled due to the nationwide lockdown when construction of the chariot was nearing completion.