The Daru Sagadi of Maa Subhadra set off for Puri from Adhangagada in Jagatsinghpur district on Wednesday evening. The holy log loaded in a special cart to Puri rolled on with thousands of devotees jostling to catch a glimpse. Official information revealed that the Sagadi will connect Cuttack-Paradip road through Anakhia-Nanpur village road from Adhangagada and then reach Nanpur. After a night’s rest at Ramkumarpur, it will resume its journey towards Cuttack on Thursday. People of Adhangagada gathered in large numbers to bid adieu to the holy log after a weeklong rituals. District Collector SK Mallick and SP Sudha Singh, accompanied by senior officials, led the arrangements paving the way for the journey of the Daru Sagadi. About five platoons of police force were deployed for maintaining security.
Meanwhile, the ‘Agyanmala’ and ‘Chakranarayan’ from the location of Maa Subhadra Daru were taken to Kharipadia where Shree Jagannath Daru has identified on Wednesday. According to Mukhya Badagrahi Jagannath Swain Das Mohapatra, after a full squad of Banajaga members arrive at Kharipadia on Thursday, the Ankuraropan ritual for Yajana will be conducted followed by Bhumisodhan, Surya Puja and Baruna Puja. Then the Daitas and Swatriya Brahamans will give a holy bath to the neem tree with 108 pots of sacred water. The Yajana will continue till May 9 when the Purnahuti will mark its conclusion. Subsequently, the chopping of the neem tree will commence, Mohapatra added. Meanwhile, after Adhangagada, the spotlight has shifted to the Jagannath Daru at Kharipadia with the place emerging to be a major pilgrimage centre.