File picture of the Khandagiri Mela during Magh Saptami last year.

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 3: The historic Khandagiri Mela is all set to start here from February 6. It will continue till February 15.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has taken adequate measures to make the event a smooth affair.

The fair, which starts on the seventh day of the month of Magh, attracts thousands of visitors from the city, its outskirts and other districts as well. It is believed that this gathering has been taking place near the twin hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri since time immemorial.

Legend has it that demon Sambhasur was suffering from some unknown skin disease and he prayed to Sun God for his recovery.

The Sun God asked him to take bath at Chandrabhaga on Magha Saptami and then visit Khandagiri hills after covering the entire distance on foot. It is believed that a visit to Khandagiri during the Magha Mela can cure a person of diseases.

Santosh Kumar Sahu, senior citizen and a resident of Jagamara, said: “During the Khandagiri Mela, presiding deity Ananta Keshari Dev is worshipped.’’

While mainly residents of Jagamara, Gandamunda, Aiginia, Ghatikia, Baramunda and Bharatpur take part in the festival these days, earlier lakhs of people from all over the country used to visit the fair.

A large number of temporary shops of wooden utensils, bamboo, stone carvings, various household items and eateries find place at the festival venue. The fair is also famous for open-pandal operas or jatras and at least five to six jatra troupes are camping here.

On the job

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has organised three co-ordination meetings so far for various tasks for the management of the fair. While agencies such as the Public Health Engineering Organisation, the traffic wing of city police and the city health officer of the civic body were asked to ensure better drinking water supply, parking and cleanliness, the licensing section has started allotment of the shops to vendors today.

The BMC office premises near Recreation Club remained crowded during the entire day today with aspiring vendors from the nearby areas of Khandagiri were seen standing in a queue for allotment of shops near the festival ground.

Corporation licensing officer Srimant Mishra said: “There will be 263 kiosks for vendors at the foothills, while the Banamalipur vending area will have 60 more kiosks. Today, we allotted 243 kiosks and the rest will be allotted later. Each vendor has to pay Rs 3,000 to get a kiosl.’’

To ensure a smooth operation of their business by vendors, the enforcement wing of the civic body also carried out a demolition drive along the road near the office of the Archaeological Survey of India at Khandagiri on Saturday.

Interestingly, newly-elected councillor of Jagamara (ward No. 63) Raghunath Mohanty is not happy with the corporation’s attitude towards providing money to the deity for which the Khadagiri fair is held.

“Lord Ananta Keshari Dev, the presiding deity of the Khandagiri hills is now at Jagamara village. Just before the fair, we take him to the hill in a grand procession. But the civic body never comes forward to help us,”

“It is making a good collection of money of nearly Rs 18 lakh from the fair, but pays only Rs 20,000 for the procession. Earlier, there was also a car festival of the Lord, but it is no longer in practice because of lack of funds,’’ Mohanty said.