Narayanpatna: The Jatra Puja of Goddess Agnigangama, the revered deity of Neelabadi village in Bandhugaon block of Koraput district, one of the significant regions of southern Odisha, is set to commence on Monday. This event will be observed from the 10th to the 18th of this month. During this period, the Goddess will circumambulate the village, granting darshan to the devotees. The village of Bandhugaon is abuzz with excitement for this grand Jatra Puja
Committee Chairman B. Satyam Naidu has stated that extensive arrangements have been made to conduct the festival smoothly. Devotees from Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and neighboring Andhra Pradesh are expected to gather in large numbers, and necessary security measures have been put in place for their safety. On Monday, the Goddess will reach the temporary mandap in a grand procession accompanied by fireworks.
The festival committee has set up 850 temporary stalls, each of which will be allocated for ₹700. The entire area has been beautifully decorated with lighting arrangements. To ensure that the event is conducted peacefully, fire brigades, police administration, and volunteers from the Neelabadi Agnigangama Youth Association have been deployed.
Officials including Bandhugaon Tahasildar and Committee President Sonali Patra, BDO Minati Jagdev, Narayanpatna Tahasildar Debabrata Maharana, Laxmipur SDPO Tofan Bag, Bandhugaon Police Officer Prasanna Kumar Mishra, and Koraput Sub-Collector, along with a platoon of police forces, will oversee the festival’s management and security.
For the convenience of Andhra Pradesh devotees, the Andhra government has arranged special bus services. Committee Vice-President Janardhan Sahukar, Secretary G. Ravi Shankar, Vice-President Subash Pita, Chief Auditor Kishore Pattnayak, Festival Management Committee members Prasanna Pattnayak, Sadan Pidika, Lachika Benia, Durjaya Nag, and Jiana Meleka, among others, will participate in organizing and conducting the festival.