Bhubaneswar, April 7: The banajaga yatris, looking for sacred wood for the new idols of the Holy Trinity, have so far examined around 80 neem trees for the purpose.

Daitapati Niyog president Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra said: "The search will continue till we get the right trees. Out of all the trees inspected, we will choose four to make the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan. We are examining the neem trees for special features, including the holy signs such as sankha, chakra, gada and padma (conch shell, wheel, mace and lotus) on their trunks."

The announcement about the choice of the wood would be made after the lunar eclipse is over.

There is a huge rush of visitors at the Kakatpur Deuli Mutt where the servitors, who are part of the yatra, are staying. Puri Shree Jagannath temple public relation officer Lakshmidhar Pujapanda said: "We have made adequate arrangement for the smooth visit of devotees to the mutt."

Visitors are also thronging the Maa Mangala Temple in large numbers, where bhajans are being sung and scriptures are being read aloud. The atmosphere, created by the sound of mantras (hymns), would help the servitors concentrate on locating the right trees for idol making.

In another development, the state government today reviewed the development at the Alaranath Temple in Brahmagiri, around 14km from Puri. When darshan of Lord Jagannath is not allowed from June 2 to July 17, ahead of the car festival, the devotees visit the temple at Brahmagiri to get a glimpse of Lord Alarnath, who is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Presiding over the review meeting, food and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma said: "An amount of Rs 3.50 crore has been allocated for infrastructure development at the Alarnath temple. The work will be over by May 25."

The Alarnath temple falls within the constituency of Das Burma, who is keen to ensure its proper development.

The minister also said the illumination around the temple would be completed shortly. Senior officials, including Shree Jagananth temple chief administrator Suresh Mohapatra, were also present at the meeting.