By Our Correspondent
PURI/BHUBANESWAR: The constructions of chariots of Lord Jagannath, His siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra commenced on Saturday amid religious fervor on the auspicious Akshaya Tritiya on Saturday. The day also heralded the 21-day-long Chandan Yatra (boating) of the Trinity.
Both the prominent rituals of the deities on same day were conducted with engagement of a limited number of servitors and officials due to the Covid restrictions. No public was allowed to visit the festival sites. The district administration had earlier imposed Section 144 of CrPc nearby the Rath Khala (chariots making site) and Narendra Pokhari (pond) to restrict public entry.
The curfew was also in force along the pathway from the Shreemandir up to the Narendra pond, where the deities would foray for theritualistic boating.
In order to beat the summer heat, the deities visit the Narendra Pokhari twice a day on decorated palanquins and there they bathe in sandal water and then ride the boats. At the Narendra pond, decorated boats had been already prepared for the Chandan Yatra. It is the second time the famous Hindu shrine observed its festivals without permission for public darshan since the outbreak of Covid 19. Last year, most of the festivals, including the RathYatra, had been observed without allowing public.
