Bandhugaon:March, 6: The famous nine-day Ghata Yatra of the presiding deity Goddess Agni Gangamma of Nilabadi village under Bandhugaon block in Koraput district has commenced today. The festival will continue until the 10th. The entire Nilabadi village has turned festive for the occasion. Extensive arrangements have been made by the administration and the Yatra Committee.
On the second Monday after Magha Amavasya, the chief priest of the temple observed a fast and invoked the Goddess. Carrying the traditional Changudi and accompanied by traditional musical instruments and Mahuri tunes, rituals were performed. At night, the Goddess is believed to have given darshan to devotees in the form of a bright divine light.
On the first day, the Goddess was ceremonially brought in a grand procession to the village mandap in her forms as Agni Ganga, Patal Ganga, and Jal Ganga, accompanied by traditional music and rituals, and was installed there. People from around 40 nearby villages have joined in service of the Goddess. Homes are filled with family members and visiting relatives for the festival.
The Sub-Collector of Koraput, along with Bandhugaon Tahsildar and Puja Committee President Sonali Patra, BDO Minati Jagadev, IIC Sindhu Saraka, fire brigade personnel, one platoon of police force, volunteers, and members of the Nilabadi Agni Gangamma Youth Association are maintaining law and order during the festival.
For this year’s Yatra, tenders have been fixed at ₹1.40 lakh for bhog (offering), ₹1.70 lakh for ritual head-shaving (offering of hair), and ₹30,000 for the sale of the Goddess’s photographs. The committee has spent ₹3.80 lakh on lighting and sound arrangements brought from Vizianagaram, decorating the temple and the entire village with beautiful illumination. Around ₹1.90 lakh has been spent on shelter and drinking water arrangements for devotees around the temple.
The Government of Andhra Pradesh has arranged special bus services for devotees. Entry for devotees has been arranged through Sarpalli and exit via Kanagaon. Vehicles coming from Rayagada via Kumbhariput have been provided parking facilities 100 meters away from the temple. Separate parking arrangements for bikes and other vehicles have been made at Nilabadi Ashram ground.
For entertainment, Meena Bazaar, swings, motorcycle shows, and other programs have been organized.
According to Puja Committee President B. Satyam Naidu, lakhs of devotees from South Odisha as well as neighboring Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh are expected to attend the Ghata Yatra. This year, 850 temporary shops have been set up. The main Yatra of the Goddess will begin next Saturday. The Puja Committee has made all necessary arrangements.
Committee Vice-President Janardana Sahu, Vice-President G. Ravi Shankar, Joint Secretary Subas Pandit, Chief Auditor Kishore Pattnaik, Executive President Prasanna Pattnaik, and other core committee members and local residents are actively cooperating to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.
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