Naresh Chandra PattanayakKeonjhar: More than 50,000 devotees on Thursday witnessed Rath Yatra of Lord Sri Sri Baladevjew, one of the oldest car festivals in Odisha. They pulled the 72-foot-tall chariot, Nandighosha, carrying Lord Baladevjew, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, along the 1-km-long Bada Danda from Sri Baladevjew Temple to Sri Gundicha Temple.Grand Road turned into a sea of humanity as devotees thronged the route for a glimpse of the deities. The festival also offered a rare sight of Devi Subhadra, whose idol is red in Keonjhar, unlike the yellow-coloured deity worshipped in Puri and most other places.Earlier in the day, priests and servitors ceremonially carried the deities from the temple and placed them on the chariot amid the beating of drums, blowing of conch shells and playing of traditional musical instruments. Collector Vishal Singh and SP Nitin Kushalkar supervised elaborate security arrangements for the festival.Keonjhar Ratha Yatra is distinct for its strong tribal association. Historians say the Bhuyan tribe, which played a key role in the formation of the erstwhile Keonjhar kingdom, has been traditionally closely associated with royal and religious ceremonies. Members of tribal communities continue to supply ropes made from the siali plant, sourced from forests, for pulling the chariot.Thousands of tribal devotees from the district’s hilly and forested regions arrived in Keonjhar town ahead of the festival, bringing fruits, vegetables and other forest produce for sale along Bada Danda.In earlier times, tribal groups stayed on Grand Road until the return journey of the deities, spending days and nights singing, dancing and playing traditional drums in a celebration of faith and community bonding. The occasion also served as a platform for young men and women to choose life partners. However, many such customs have gradually faded due to changing social norms, security concerns and urban influences.The 16th-century Sri Baladevjew Temple, built by King Laxmi Narayan Bhanj, is considered the second-most prominent Jagannath temple in Odisha after Puri. Unlike Puri Ratha Yatra, where the sibling deities travel on three separate chariots, the deities in Keonjhar ride together on a single chariot, Nandighosha. Historians said the chariot was once taller, but its height was pruned in the years due to the scarcity of suitable timber.
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