The age-old tradition of Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj here has been suspended this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The temple administration decided not to hold the annual festival on the occasion of Ashokashtami that falls on April 1.
In this regard, Khordha district Collector SK Rout, the Shree Lingaraj Temple Trust Board Chairperson, informed the chiefs of servitor communities at a meeting on Saturday.
Notably, the chariot-making work was in a final stage even in the lockdown period and the wooden structure would have been established on Tuesday.