Bhubaneswar: The Kotia Rath yatra this year saw state ministers joining hundreds of devotees as the chariot rolled on amid chanting of ‘Jai Jagannath in the village under Pottangi block of Koraput district on the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday.
Every year since the establishment of the Jagannath temple at Kotia by the Jagannath temple managing committee of Sabara Srikhetra Koraput in 2002, the annual festival is celebrated here a day after it is observed across the state. It was established with the aim to spread the Jagannath culture and instil a sense of belongingness among the tribal people so that they feel a part of Odisha.
The Odisha government, stepping up efforts to connect with the Kotia community and promote Jagannath culture, had sent a delegation of ministers, led by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, to participate in the celebrations. Besides Pujari, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, and Animal Husbandry Minister Gokulananda Mallik were present.
Congress leaders Rama Chandra Kadam and Tara Prasad Bahinipati also attended the celebrations.
Cutting across party lines, they joined the locals and danced to the beats of traditional instruments.
“We feel blessed to have got an opportunity to pull Lord Jagannath’s chariot in Kotia, which is an integral part of Odisha. This is a historic day, and our government is committed to ensuring the region’s development, bringing the state’s welfare schemes to every resident” said the Deputy CM.
Pujari added that the entire state is with the people of Kotia, a cluster of 21 villages locked in a long-standing dispute owing to the constant efforts by the neighbouring state to assert administrative control.
Earlier this month, the government had reaffirmed its unyielding claim over the Kotia region while rolling out a comprehensive development roadmap for the area. The disputed panchayat is situated around 55km from the district headquarters town.
