Puri, July 12: Gundicha temple is the ultimate destination for pilgrims now as the divine siblings — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Goddess Subhadra — are residing there. As devotees make a beeline to catch a glimpse of the deities, a colourful fair awaits them at a stone’s throw from the temple.

The Pallishree Mela, organised by the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), has been consistently promoting indigenous crafts among buyers from all over the world who come here during rath yatra. Since it began in 1992, the fair has been organised annually and close to 200 kiosks are set up by artisans from almost all districts of Odisha as well as over 10 other states.

Coinciding with the rath yatra, the fair is also scheduled for nine days like the grand festival. Be it pickles and other packed edibles made in rural areas of the state or ornaments of shells and beads, women of self-help groups are seen making the most of the rush.

Sculptures by craftsmen from Khurda, Sambalpur, Puri districts, horn crafts by artisans from Ganjam, saris from Cuttack and other western Odisha districts are some of the popular items available at the exhibition apart from the various traditional artworks such as pattachitra and palm leaf art from Raghurajpur.

Among other states, bell metal crafts from Uttar Pradesh, bamboo showpieces and decorative items from Assam, women’s fashion accessories from Delhi, footwear from Punjab are some of the popular items among buyers.

“It is a lovely place to shop. Since we have come from England for our vacation and wanted to see crafts from Odisha as well as other parts of India, we are immensely happy that such a set up is available for us. This is indeed a one-stop shop,” said Nathan, a tourist.

Chief executive of District Supply and Marketing Society, district unit of ORMAS, Jitendra Biswal said: “This mela has become a popular spot for tourists during rath yatra. We try to add to the number of kiosks every year and bring more products. Apart from individual buyers, our artisans also get many handloom and handicraft orders from foreign countries. The sales figures cross Rs 2 crore.” There are a number of other attractions apart from the craft kiosks at the fair. Demonstration kiosks, where artisans display their craft techniques live, attract many visitors while the cultural extravaganza during the evenings is equally admired.