Bhubaneswar: Preparations are in full swing for the upcoming Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj scheduled to be held next week in the Odisha capital.
In order to ensure smooth and trouble-free conduct of the annual festival, the administration and police are making elaborate arrangements. Tight security measures will be in place to enable the devotees to witness the festival properly, said Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prateek Singh.
Stating that the festival will start from April 15 and a large number of devotees will gather on the occasion, he said there will be a huge crowd during the Rath Yatra for which traffic diversions will be made. While certain rituals will be performed as part of the annual festival on Monday, the chariot pulling will take place on Tuesday afternoon.
“Once the chariot rolls out, it will be ensured that there is no obstruction of any kind on the way. A cordon will be formed around it to give it protection and also manage the crowd,” the DCP said.
He added that it would be ensured the chariot is pulled timely.
In view of the heat, water sprinklers will be used, and adequate drinking water will be made available. A total of 12 platoon of police forces, 2 ADCP, 6 ACP and other officers will also be deployed to ensure smooth chariot pulling, Singh said.
All preparations are underway for the smooth completion of the rath yatra. A meeting was also held with all the authorities and the administration of the temple.
It may be noted here that the rath yatra of Lord Lingaraj is celebrated on the day of Ashokastami that takes place in the month of Chaitra. This festival lasts for five to seven days. This festival is believed to be ‘Papa Binashakari Yatra’ which means festival that destroys all evil and sins.
Rukuna Rath is also called ‘Analeuta’ chariot as the chariot does not take any turn during the return journey. The direction of altars of the gods gets changed and the chariot is pulled from opposite side.
