Floods bar Kawdia entry to Gupteshwar by river route

JEYPORE:  The district administration on Thursday decided to forbid entry of Bol Bom Kawdias taking the water route in river Saveri from Chattisgarh into Gupteshwar shrine. The decision was made in the wake of flood situations in the river.

According to sources, devotees especially Bom Bom Kawdias of neighbouring Chattisgarh try to enter the shrine by makeshift arrangement of bamboo poles on river Saveri during Mondays of the month of Sravan. This poses a huge threat to their lives as many devotees slip into the river on their way to the temple. 

Sub-collector Bedabar Pradhan, after a meeting on Friday, decided to engage about 300 volunteers near the shrine to monitor the arrival of devotees from both within and beyond the state borders. “There will be special patrolling by police and volunteers at the river ghat to avert any untoward incident.

Besides, there will be one-way inflow of devotees from Ramgiri through Dakari Ghat and devotees will return through another route via Kandulibeda to Ramgiri to avoid rush,” said Pradhan. Sanitation, drinking water facilities, parking and proper entry of the devotees to the caved shrine were discussed at the meeting.