Kharipadia, May 14: The atmosphere at this tiny village in Jagatsinghpur district turned emotional today with the sacred neem log for making the idol of Lord Jagannath beginning its journey to Puri.

Thousands of devotees pulled the cart carrying the log chanting "Jay Jagannath".

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched a digital campaign for Nabakalebar, of which this journey is a part, in Bhubaneswar today. Naveen launched the website www.nabakalebara.gov.in that will provide live coverage of the rituals associated with the event.

The cart carrying the logs will pass through Cuttack and Bhubaneswar before reaching Puri on May 19. However, it will not enter the two cities to avoid traffic chaos. Thirty platoons of police have been deployed along the route to ensure smooth passage of the logs, especially on the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar stretch.

Police commissioner R.K. Sharma said: "Adequate police arrangements have been made for the smooth journey of the scared wood."

As the cart rolled on, the eyes of many residents of Kharipadia welled with tears. Arakshit Mallick, 48, on whose land the sacred tree was located, said: "I have grown up seeing the tree that had withstood many cyclones, including the Super Cyclone of 1999. Though I will feel its absence, I am happy that the tree that I had been worshipping since my childhood days will be used for making the idol of Lord Jagannath."

The main servitor of the Lord, Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, said: "The devotees' love and affection on us have moved us. The memories will remain with us forever."

Leader of the servitors' team Haladhar Das Mohapatra also thanked the Kharipadia residents. As the cart rolled on, devotees followed it barefoot. It made a night halt at Ramkumarpur, about 12km from Kharipadia.

The people of Kharipadia turned vegetarian after the temple administration had made the announcement that the sacred tree was meant for Lord Jagannath's idol.

"For the past 15 days, we had led an austere life. There was a complete ban on the entry of non-vegetarian food in our houses," said Parameswar Routray, 56, another villager.

With the arrival of thousands of devotees to the tiny village, makeshift shops had opened up on the road leading to the tree. "For the past 15 days, I had been selling cold drinks and water pouches. My friends sold tea," said Binod Behera, 39.

Road expansion

The National Highways Authority of India has informed Orissa High Court that it would not be able to complete the expansion of the bypass road connecting Puri before Nabakalebar in July.