PIL filed in Orissa High Court for holding of Biraja Ratha Jatra

Jajpur:  Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, servitors of the famous Biraja temple in Jajpur district have filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court (HC) seeking permission for holding of the nine-day-long Ratha Jatra of the goddess.

In the PIL, the servitors of the Biraja temple Mukti Mandap stated that Ratha Jatra of the Goddess is being held since time immemorial. Discontinue of the festival will hurt religious sentiment of thousands of devotees. Like the Puri Ratha Jatra, let the car festival of Goddess Biraha be held with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, the servitors pleaded before the court.  Advocate Biplab Kumar Tipathy  is representing the servitors in the HC for the matter.

“Once the Ratha Jatra gets discontinued, it can not be held again. We have prayed to the court to grant permission for the annual festival. We ready to follow all COVID-19 guidelines to be issued by  the HC ,” said a servitor.

It is pertinent to mention here that  Goddess Biraja is the only Goddess in the country to have her own chariot festival, which is held during Dussehra.

While  the Supreme Court had granted permission for conduct of Puri Ratha Jatra in June after a prolong legal battle, the state has not given a green signal for Biraja Ratha Jatra owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the state Government has decided to keep Dussehra festival a low key affair by imposing several restrictions, including public participation and cultural activities.