Bhubaneswar: The annual Khandagiri Mela is all set to commence from Friday at the foothills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills in the city.
Every year the nine-day mela takes off on the occasion of Magha Saptami which is the seventh day of the second quarter of the holy month Magha, which falls on Friday, February 16, this year and it ends on the full moon day of the month.
With a day left for the carnival to commence, sadhus (sages) from Kashi, Benaras and Ayodhya have arrived in the city to attend the fair.
On opening day of the mela, mostly sadhus take a holy dip on Magha Saptami morning at the Chandrabhaga beach in Konark before proceeding towards Khandagiri to participate in the rituals of the lighting of the holy fire as part of yanja which will be conducted at the Khandagiri foothills. This ritual marks beginning of the mela.
On this occasion, residents of Jagamara also take out a procession with the deity of Lord Anant Keshari in a palanquin. They take the deity to a place named Ranihanspur near the Udaygiri hills and bring it back to Naga mutt in Jagamara after a few hours.
Going by the myth, a demon called Sambhasur sought the help of the Sun God ‘Surya’ after he failed to recover from leprosy. It was Sun God who advised Sambhasur to take a bath in the Chandrabhaga and come to Khandagiri. It is said that after meditating at Khandagiri, Sambhasur recovered from leprosy.
Every year saints and monks come to Khandagiri in large number to take part in the extravaganza. It is believed that it keeps them away from all diseases and helps them remain calm.
On the other hand, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recently held a preparatory meeting ahead of the Khandagiri Mela, which will continue till February 24.
Apart from meeting the basic requirement of the saints who will arrive for the mela, the civic body has decided to set up temporary bathrooms, toilets, health centres, drinking water facilities and an information centre for visitors.
Meanwhile, the BMC has started taking action against encroachers to make the area encroachment-free.
