The famous Puri Rath Yatra which has been named as Nabakalebar Rath Yatra this year is going to be special for everyone throughout the world this year. The Tourism Ministry has already allocated Rs50 crore to promote the festival as global event.
Nabakalebar is the periodical renewal of the wooden images of lord, Jagannath, Bhalabhadara, Subhadra and Sudarshan. After the year 1996, next Nabakalebar festival will be celebrated this year and the Tourism and Culture and Petroleum Ministries are jointly taking several measures for international branding and promotion of the festival.
This was decided at a high level meeting between the two Ministries led by Dharmendra Pradhan and Mahesh Sharma. The Culture Ministry proposes to bring out Coffee table book and also make special documentary on the Yatra. Coins and stamps will also be issued to commemorate the yatra.
lakhs of people would be visiting the Yatra and the Government is committed to making glitch free arrangements for the event, said an official statement from the Government.
Tourism Minister Sharma said that his Ministry was making efforts to utilise the 450-km long coastal belt for promoting tourism in Odisha. Both Petroleum Minister Pradhan and Tourism Minister Sharma will undertake a two-day visit to Odisha on 20th and 21st March to review the preparations for the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra, the statement added.