Odisha Nabakalebara: Daru of Lord Sudarshan leaves for Puri

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 22: 

Lord Sudarshan’s daru mounted on a specially designed sagadi (cart) left Gadakuntunia on the outskirts of Odisha’s capital city in a colourful procession for Puri on Tuesday evening.

The daru draped in seven layers of silk cloth and fastened with silk ropes made of basunga pata prepared by Patera Bisoyi servitors left for its ultimate destination Shree Mandir at Puri on a sagadi to the chants of Jai Jagannath, hari bol, beats of gongs, mridangas, cymbals and ululation by the locals. The sagadi carrying Lord Sudarshan’s daru left for its destination at 5 pm.

A group of 14 Banajaga team members are escorting the ‘daru’ of Lord Sudarshan.

Earlier, the daru was resized to ‘choupata’, a rectangular solid block made out of the trunk.

Daitapatis performed secret rituals on the ‘daru’ and Biswakarmas (carpenters) prepared the sagadi, a four wheeled cart made of tendu, tamarind and banyan timber before the daru departed Gadakuntunia.

Locals with tears in their eyes and their voices choked in emotion bade farewell to the daru of Lord Sudarshan from Gadakuntunia

While one group of servitors went with the daru towards Puri, the rest left for Kanakpur late in the evening.

Devotees happily with great enthusiasm pulled the sagadi to the chants of jai Jagannath, hari bol, bursting of crackers and lighting of fireworks, blowing of rana kahalis (war trumpets), beats of drums, cymbals, gongs and ululation by womenfolk all along the route on its journey to Pipili where it halted for the night at the Bata Mahabir Mandir. People in large numbers prostrated in obeisance to the daru, made offerings and lighted wicker lamps during its halt at Pipili during the night.

Today morning the sagadi left for Madhuban kalyan mandap and from there up to Harekrushnapur and on April 23^rd night it will reach at Alam Chandi temple on the outskirts of Puri and on the next day Daitapatis and people of Puri will drag the sagadi will enter the Shree Mandir through the Uttara dwar (northern gate) to Koilibaikuntha where it will rest and after the Snana Purnima carving of it into Lord Sudarshan will begin.

Banajaga Yatris who arrived at around midnight on Tuesday at Kanakpur –the location where Lord Balabhadra’s daru has been identified took rest for the night at the Sabarapalli specially constructed for their stay today around 11 AM conducted the bhoomisodhan ritual at the base of the neem tree assigned as the daru for Lord Balabhadra.

“Stotriya Brahmins have performed the bhoomisodhan ritual today near the tree at around 5 PM the mahasnana ritual with 108 garas (pitchers) of water will be conducted on the tree by them and later in the evening ankuraropan will take place and tomorrow after Surya puja and Barana rituals the mahayagna will start,” said Siba Prasad Das Mohapatra, a badagrahi of Devi Subhadra speaking to reporters at Kanakpur.

Tadau Karana (clerk servitor) of Shree Mandir on Tuesday reached Kanakpur from Puri –with the agyanmala from Lord Balabhadra

With every passing day ever since the declaration of the location of Lord Balabhadra’s daru at Kanakpur thousands of devotees with wicker lamps in their hands are making a beeline at Kanakpur to have a glimpse of the daru for Lord Balabhadra’s new idol, sankirtan mandalis were found singing hymns. The number increasing with the date for the felling of the daru getting closer.