Bhubaneswar: The Nagarjun vesha (when the deities are dressed like warriors) of Lord Jagannath of Puri will be held in 2020 almost after a gap of 25 years.
The last time it was held in 1994. Six persons had died in a stampede when lakhs of people turned up to witness the vesha of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
The deities will appear in this vesha carrying the arrows and bows that attract lakhs of devotes across the globe. Noted astrologer of Samant Chandrasekhar Panjika Baikuntha Nath Nayak said: "This vesha will fall in November 2020 during the month of Kartik. The vesha will be observed for six days."
The scion of the erstwhile Puri royal family Dibya Singh Deb said: "The issue will come up at the management committee's meeting. With the Lord's blessing, everything will go smoothly."
He was speaking to the reporters after a delegation of Jagannath temple on Tuesday met him at his palace and informed him that the Lord had already been recuperated from the fever following treatment by herbal medicines.
Deb held the saribandha rituals for servitors, in which special pieces of saris are tied around the heads of servitors to show them respect for their dedication and commitment to the deities.
During the meeting, the datitapatis and servitors discussed the health of the deities and their treatment with Deb. They also shared their concern on the debate triggered by the Supreme Court's suggestions on allowing the non-Hindus into the shrine, abolition of their hereditary rights and other issues pertaining to the servitors.
Deb assured the servitors not to be worried about it as the apex court had just made an observation and not passed any final order on the issue. "Pati Mohapatra and daitapatis (servitors) on Tuesday met me, and we exchanged our views. With the Lord's blessings, everything will go smoothly," said Deb.
The servitors, including Naba Kishore Pati Mohapatra, Haladhar Das Mohapatra and others, who met Deb, said they would provide all help to the temple administration to ensure that the festival passes off smoothly.
