Nine day long Rath Yatra in Biraja temple kicked off without devotees for first time
By Akshya Rout
Jajpur,OCT 18 : The nine day long famous Rath Yatra in the Ma Biraja temple in Jajpur town was kicked off under the shadow of a raging Covid 19 pandemic on Saturday.
The entire Jajpur town was under Section 144 of the CrPC and a curfew-like situation prevailed in the Biraja Khetra. All entry points and roads leading to the temple were barricaded and sealed by the district administration and debarred devotees to attend the Rath Yatra as a result when the chariot rolled around the temple for the first time without any participation of devotees. The 60 feet long chariot was pulled by servitors only with the presence of police. All the servitors had been tested for Covid-19 and allowed to take part only on being found negative,All the priests and other participants followed the proper precautions like use of sanitizer, masks and social distancing to stay safe during the Rath Yatra, said Chakravarti Singh Rathore the collector of Jajpur.
Orissa High Court on 8th October allowed Biraja Rath Yatra after hearing Public Interest Litigations(PILs) and directed the district administration to conduct the rath yatra by adhering to the covid-19 guidelines As per the order of the High Court the district administration allowed the Rath Yatra by considering the religious sentiments and keeping the the long traditions of the festival with some restrictions due to coronavirus , added the collector.
