Jagannathpur temple out of bounds for devotees

Ranchi: Ranchi police and civil administration put up barricades in the Jagannathpur temple area on Monday after a few devotees tried to worship the wooden chariot on which Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra set out every year during the Rath Yatra. The chariot has not been spruced up this time around and is lying some distance away from the temple. The cops also had to prevent a few vendors from setting up stalls near the temple.
The district administration had earlier issued an order cancelling the annual Rath Yatra, a customary practice here since 1691.
The chief priest of the temple, Braj Bhushan Nath Mishra, said that following the directive of the district administration, the ‘netra daan’ ritual was carried out on Monday in the presence of around 50 people, mostly priests and members of the temple committee. “For the first time in my life, the rituals were conducted sans the presence of any devotee. Moreover, no rath will move from the Jagannath temple to the Mausi Bari temple this year,” he said. Mishra added that the cancellation of the event and the associated mela (fair) will adversely affect many people.
A local resident, Ambuj Nath, who is a regular at the Jagannathpur fair, said people from neighbouring Bengal and Bihar also visit the mela. “The fair provides a platform to farmers and rural artisans to make some money. The artisans usually invest the money they earn here in other business activities for the rest of the year,” Nath said.
The nine-day Rath Yatra festival in Ranchi witnesses a footfall of around 2.5 lakh to three lakh every year.
The chief priest said they are going to carry out the rituals all inside the main temple. “This time, the yatra will take place from the Garbha Griha to the Dol Mandap,” he said. Mishra urged the devotees to offer prayers from their homes in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Lord Jagannath would bless his devotees even if they cannot participate in the rituals,” he added.