The presiding goddess of Painkhanda valley — goddess Nanda — will be a part of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra after a gap of 89 years. Preparations are on in the area for the Yatra slated to begin from August 18.
The procession of villagers carrying the goddess in a palanquin will depart to join the Raj Jat from lata village and one of the halts will be Badagaon village. Residents of this village have started preparations for the event and started making traditional umbrellas to be used in the Yatra. The villagers have already held a meeting and selected those from the village who will be participating in the Yatra.
After a period of nearly nine decades, the presiding deity of Painkhanda valley, Goddess Nanda will also be a part of the Raj Jat Yatra this year. The locals have shown more enthusiasm and sense of planning than the authorities with the villagers holding meetings at various villages and discussing measures to prevent problems while undertaking the trek.
There are some stretches of the Raj Jat Yatra route that may pose difficulties for the devotees. According to the locals, those participating in the Raj Jat Yatra may face difficulties in areas including Semkunda, Devani, Kali Ghat and other uninhabited places along the Yatra route. However, despite the expected hardships, the villagers in Painkhanda are enthusiastically looking forward to the event as their presiding deity is participating in the Yatra after a long period.
The Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra is held once every 12 years but could not be held in 2012 due to inauspicious period (Mal Mass) and was deferred to 2013.
The June 2013 disaster prevented this important event from being organised last year. The State Government claims that necessary arrangements are being made to facilitate a safe trek for the devotees but observers opine that the government should have started its efforts in this direction earlier. Considering the fact that presently rounds of meetings are being held by officials concerned regarding the arrangements for this Yatra, the said preparations are still incomplete. With less than a week left for the start of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat, the officials concerned are being directed to speed up work.