With only a day left to the historic Jagannath Mela, the arrangements for Rath Yatra at Jagannath temple is in its final stages. The mela will set off with the journey of lord Jagannath, his brother Bhalabhadra and sister Subhadra.The chariot, which is made up of special wood, is the most important part of the occasion. On this wooden chariot, lord Jagannath with his two siblings covers his journey from Jagannathpur temple to Mausi Bari. It weighs around 30 quintals.“We have been making and repairing the chariot for more than a decade. We are fortunate to be part of this auspicious celebration. In fact, this is my family business. Our ancestors started this work of making chariot and I am taking their tradition forward. This time, the chariot is same as that of last year but some work of repair is to be done. The work is in progress and we expect it to finish tomorrow,” said Manohar lohar, the chief artisan.
The place near to Jagannath Temple is brimming with lights with the installation of makeshift shops. A large number of shopkeepers from state as well from outside have come to be the part of this historic mela. “I belong to West Bengal and come to this mela every year to put up my toy shop. I have to complete the work of tent by 16 July and after that I have to decorate my shop as mela is from 18 July. I earn quite well and response from people is also good, “said Rohit Kumar, a shopkeeper.The arrangements of security have been outlined to maintain law and order in the mela. “The security forces will be vigilant round the clock to prevent any mishap or any untoward action. 17 magistrates and more than 500 security forces have been deputed. The security forces in civil dresses will also be deployed to avoid any unsocial activity. There will be tight security on the day of Jagannath Mela as we are expecting a large number of devotees,” said Jagannathpur Police Station in charge.
Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has also taken several steps to oversee the cleanliness of the place and to provide medical facilities to the devotees or visitors coming to Jagannath mela.“We have extensively done fogging and sprinkled bleaching powder in the area where Rath Yatra and Jagannath Mela is to be organised. This will help to regulate the breeding of mosquitoes and prevent water borne diseases. We have also arranged for safe drinking water. The drinking water will be supplied to the visitors and devotees through municipal water tanker. A medical team will be also present throughout the Rath Yatra Mela in case of emergency. All the medical facility will be that of last year,” said Health Officer of RMC Dr AK Manjhi.