Jagannath Mandir Nyas Samiti on Monday took a final review meeting for giving strategies a final touch for upcoming Jagannath Yatra and Mela associated with it. It was decided in the meeting that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers will take care of arrangements of Darshana or holy glimpse of lord Jagannath like they have been doing for more than a decade and half. The Rath (Chariot) yatra is scheduled to start at 4 Pm on Wednesday.
Samiti Secretary Chandrakant Raipat informed that Pramod Kumar has been given charge to convene entire affairs of Yatra and Mela. Around 300 RSS volunteers have been asked to be ready to take charge on Wednesday. “Volunteers residing nearby start gathering as early as 4 AM on the day every year, whereas those coming from distant places also start arriving by 7 AM,” said Raipat.
The Chariot of lord Jagannath along with His brother Balbhadra and wife Subhadra will be pulled to Mausi-Badi, which is around one Km from temple. An annual Mela also comes up there every year which lasts for rest of the nine days till the lord stays at Mausi-badi. The meeting on Monday was attended by Pawan Mantri from RSS, Shashikant Dwivedi, Harendra Sharma, Anil Jha, Bijay Kesri, Sunil Jha, Raj Kamal, Shrawan Kumar, Nawal Kishore Singh, laalan Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Ranjeet Kumar among others.
Raipat said that there are around 500 stalls already installed at Mela venue. “The lighting part has been finished and a couple of things are there to be given a final touch. Enthusiasm is all around and people are not at all worried with the weather conditions,” said Raipat.
Devotees join Jagannathpur temple chief priest and his helpers pull the temple-sized chariots during Rath Yatra. People just pour down from every nook and corner of the city, and also from rest of the State to pull the lord's chariots, which is considered pious. The Jagannath temple was established in Ranchi in 1961 and the first Rath Yatra took place in 1692, said locals.