Bhubaneswar: With COVID-19 restrictions in force, Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna is being marked without participation of devotees across the shrines in Odisha.
Instead of usual cheer, major temples in the State are wearing deserted look as devotees have been asked to refrain from publicly participating in view of the pandemic. However, special rituals will be performed at Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri on the occasion.
On Monday, a day before Lord Krishna’s birthday, ‘Cha Murti’ jewellery was offered to the holy Trinity at the 12th-century shrine. Later, the deities were offered special bhog named ‘Jeuda’. Since the birth of the Lord is secret ritual, the Jaya-Bijaya Dwara was shut down after Sandhya Dhupa.
“Panda, Pati Mohaptra and Mudirasta servitors perform special rituals to mark the birthday of Lord Sri Krishna. ‘Jeuda Bhog’ is also offered to the deities before Janmashtami,” Suryanarayan Rath Sharma, Jagannath culture researcher said.
Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP National Vice President Jay Panda have extended greetings to all on the auspicious occasion.
Janmashtami is a major festival marked with festive fervour in Mathura, Delhi, Ranchi and other places of the country but in view of the pandemic, the festival is being celebrated in a subdued manner this year.
In view of the pandemic, the Mathura administration has banned entry of outsiders in the district between August 11 and 13.
Restrictions are also imposed on ‘Dahi Handi’ ritual in many parts of the country.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
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