Bhubaneswar: The famous Chandana Jatra of Lord Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar of Odisha to commence from tomorrow as a low key affair in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic. On this occasion the Lord will play ‘Chapa’ in a decorated palanquin on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya tomorrow. Goddess Parbati, Mata Rukmini and Basudeva will accompany Lord Lingaraj on this occasion.
All preparations have been finished in this regard. This year, the said festival is to be organised abiding Covid restrictions sans devotees. Only 15 servitors will be present to execute the rituals of the festivals.
The temple administration will provide a list of 15 servitors who will conduct the Chandana Jatra of Lord Lingaraj. Once their RT-PCR test is done and they are declared negative, they will be allowed to take part in the festival.
The boat which will be used for the festival will be sanitized. The servitors will wear masks and will keep a distance of at least 6 feet among each other. Also, firecrackers will not be burst. The festival will continue for 22 days but only the rituals will be executed and the festivity will be a low key affair.
Ms Kalinga