The Yatra strengthens community bonding and showcases the rich religious culture of the region

Kakatpur, April 13:  On the first Tuesday of the month of Baisakh, the famous Jhamu Yatra of the presiding deity Maa Mangala of Kakatpur was observed as part of her final Pali Yatra. Along with this, the Panthoi Osha ritual observed by women in villages for Maa Mangala also concluded.
On this occasion, thousands of devotees, including Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, had the दर्शन (holy glimpse) of Maa Mangala in her Rajarajeshwari attire.
The Pali Yatra of Maa Mangala, which began with the Netrotsav on the first Tuesday of the month of Chaitra, concluded today on the fifth Tuesday with the Jhamu Yatra.
From 3:00 AM, rituals such as the goddess’s ceremonial bath, Surya Puja, Dwarapala Puja, and her adornment in Rajarajeshwari attire were performed. The temple doors were opened at 4:00 AM for devotees.
At noon, the Patua servitors of the Mali community, who had arrived from the shrine of Maa Jhankad Sarala, took the sacred Agyanmala (garland of permission) from the goddess amid traditional drum and mahuri music. After collecting water from the Prachi River ghat, they walked across a 12-foot-long bed of fire prepared in front of the temple.
The Jhamu Yatra is a key ritual of the fifth Pali Yatra of Maa Mangala. It is believed that devotees who witness the goddess on this auspicious occasion receive her immense blessings and grace.
Considering the massive crowd of lakhs of devotees, the temple administration arranged for orderly दर्शन through queues. The local police also made special arrangements for traffic control and smooth crowd management, with personnel deployed inside the temple premises.
Puri District Additional SP Sachin Patel, Nimapada SDPO Janardan Padhi, and Kakatpur IIC Basanta Kumar Sahu closely monitored the arrangements.