Orissa high court rejects pleas seeking Rath Yatra in places other than Puri

The Odisha government earlier this month had said the Rath Yatra will be held on July 12, only in Puri, keeping in mind the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court while banning it in all other places of the state.

Published on: Jun 23, 2021, 19:37:43 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Three weeks before the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins in Puri, the Orissa High Court on Wednesday rejected five petitions seeking permission to hold the festival of Rath Yatra in Kendrapara and Bargarh districts.

Deba Snana Purnima-- the grand bathing festival of Lord Jagannath that marks the prelude to the Rath Yatra is all set to be held on Thursday morning at the Jagannath Temple. (Image used for representation). (PTI PHOTO.)

The petitions were filed by servitors of the Sidhha Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara district as well as the one in Bhatli area of Bargarh seeking a direction to the Odisha government to permit the festival with participation of only servitors and with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols.

The Odisha government earlier this month had said the Rath Yatra will be held on July 12 only in Puri keeping in mind the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court while banning it in all other places of the state. The apex court last year had permitted the Rath Yatra to be held on the condition that there is no public attendance and all entry points into Puri remain closed. It also said each of the three chariots, would be pulled by not more than 500 people who were required to test negative for Covid-19.

Recently, 10 servitors engaged in the construction of chariots in Nilagiri of Balasore district were arrested for violating the Odisha government’s order. In Baripada town, known as second Srikhetra, people had staged a protest urging the state government to allow the celebrations of the annual Rath Yatra without devotees like Puri.

Deba Snana Purnima-- the grand bathing festival of Lord Jagannath that marks the prelude to the Rath Yatra is all set to be held on Thursday morning at the Jagannath Temple. Only select servitors and support staff like government officials, police who have undergone RT-PCR tests and tested negative will be allowed to participate in the rituals.

During the Snana Purnima, Lord Jagannath and his siblings are bathed with 108 pitchers of aromatic and herbal water following which they fall sick. They retreat for the next fortnight to a secret chamber called Anasara before reappearing during Rath Yatra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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