The Maa Budhi Thakurani Yatra of Brahmapur which was scheduled to commence from March 29 to April 29 will not be held this year as part of a preventive measure, in view of a surge in Corona positive cases, sources said.
The holy pillar known as ‘Subha Khunti’ for the famous Yatra which was scheduled to be raised here on the late night of Friday could not be installed. Keeping the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the State and recent identification of six positive cases in the MKCG Medical College and Hospital, the Ganjam district administration earlier, amid the Covid-19 protocols, had granted conditional permission for holding the age-old Yatra which is deeply attached to the religious sentiments of the local public.
The BeMC had reportedly directed the concerned authorities and the organisers to curtail the duration of the festival.
The Yatra is usually celebrated for a period of 21 to 30 days. During the festival, Goddess Maa Budhi Thakurani, the presiding deity of Brahmapur, is taken to her temporary abode at Desibehera Street and thereafter the deity returns to Her temple.
Notably, millions of people from neighbouring districts and States usually visit the commercial city for a darshan of the deity and during the month-long yatra, all the streets of silk city wear a colorful look with people dressed in mythological characters moving around the streets in processions.
The Ganjam district BJP in the recently held meeting had demanded that the organisers of the Yatra be allowed to conduct the festival in a restricted way.
The party also said that, the district administration should not have completely cancelled the fest. Instead, it should have issued ‘conditional go-ahead’ to observe the fest, strictly following the Covid-19 SoP.