Odisha: 50,000 pull 72-ft-high chariot in Keonjhar

Over 50,000 devotees from across Keonjhar district gathered to pull the 72-feet-high chariot of Lord Baladevjew here on Sunday.
Around 4 pm, the sibling deities were brought out from Baladevjew Temple by priests and servitors in the Pahandi procession and placed on the chariots amid the playing of drums, trumpet, mridangam and conch.
The stretch between the Baladevjew and Gundicha temples was packed with people.Following the 'chhera pahanra' ceremony, the chariot was pulled.
Keonjhar collector Bishal Singh said, "Around 10 am on Monday, the chariot will be pulled to the Mausima temple."
"We are taking special steps to organise the festival peacefully while keeping traditions alive," he added.
Nabakishor Sahu, a senior servitor, said the chariot was once taller. "Due to unavailability of wood, the height was reduced many years back," added Sahu.
Tribal people from across the district and nearby areas came with fruits, vegetables and other forest produce, which they sold on the Bada Danda.
The Baladevjew Temple was built by king Laxmi Narayan Bhanj in the 16th century. The deities travel in one chariot unlike three in Puri.