Thousands of Bol Bom devotees paint the capital saffron

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Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsIt’s Bol Bom season once again and thousands of pilgrims, clad in saffron attire, started congregating at the Old Town area here on Sunday evening to pour holy water in the 11th Century Lord Lingaraj Temple.Queues have begun to grow longer around the temple with devotees getting prepared to spend hours together for completing the journey on the auspicious day on Monday.The temple administration said the number of such pilgrims arriving at the temple this year is much higher than last year. “Till Monday last, around 60,000 Bol Bom devotees had offered holy water at the temple,” said Dwarikanath Padhi, an official of the temple administration.He said the second Monday of the _Shravan_ month registered the highest number of devotees. The figure will reach 1-lakh mark by last Monday of the month. “I came by train from Berhampur to Cuttack. From Gadagadia Ghat, I collected the holy water and now I am on my way to Lingaraj temple,” said Naresh Tripathy, a devotee.This year, several women and girls have accompanied their fellow villagers from Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Khurda and Nayagarh to the Temple City.With more and more people taking up the Bol Bom journey every year, it is learnt that the different stakeholders make business worth crores of rupees in the _Shravan_ month. Businessmen dealing with essentials required by devotees for the trip are reaping profits while different temple trusts are raking in the moolah by offering them essential services.Several days before the commencement of the journey, traders start filling their stores with merchandise required by the devotees.According to the traders, the clothing for Bol Bom devotees and other related accessories is big business both in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as the trade crossed `1-crore mark last year. Each devotee spends on an average `500 for the auspicious trip.A number of makeshift stalls have come up near Gadagadia Ghat on the banks of Mahanadi in Cuttack, from where lakhs of devotees start their journey to different shrines.A temporary food stall owner near Gadagadia temple here claims to have made a profit of `50,000 by investing around `20,000 during the last two weeks. He has erected a stall to feed at least 100 devotees.Another trader, Prahalad Sahoo, has put up a puja stall selling ‘prasad’, coconuts, brass and earthen pots and and claims to have made a profit of `15,000.first published:January 01, 1970, 05:30 ISTlast updated:January 01, 1970, 05:30 IST
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It’s Bol Bom season once again and thousands of pilgrims, clad in saffron attire, started congregating at the Old Town area here on Sunday evening to pour holy water in the 11th Century Lord Lingaraj Temple.

Queues have begun to grow longer around the temple with devotees getting prepared to spend hours together for completing the journey on the auspicious day on Monday.

The temple administration said the number of such pilgrims arriving at the temple this year is much higher than last year. “Till Monday last, around 60,000 Bol Bom devotees had offered holy water at the temple,” said Dwarikanath Padhi, an official of the temple administration.

He said the second Monday of the _Shravan_ month registered the highest number of devotees. The figure will reach 1-lakh mark by last Monday of the month.

“I came by train from Berhampur to Cuttack. From Gadagadia Ghat, I collected the holy water and now I am on my way to Lingaraj temple,” said Naresh Tripathy, a devotee.

This year, several women and girls have accompanied their fellow villagers from Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Khurda and Nayagarh to the Temple City.

With more and more people taking up the Bol Bom journey every year, it is learnt that the different stakeholders make business worth crores of rupees in the _Shravan_ month. Businessmen dealing with essentials required by devotees for the trip are reaping profits while different temple trusts are raking in the moolah by offering them essential services.

Several days before the commencement of the journey, traders start filling their stores with merchandise required by the devotees.

According to the traders, the clothing for Bol Bom devotees and other related accessories is big business both in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as the trade crossed `1-crore mark last year. Each devotee spends on an average `500 for the auspicious trip.A number of makeshift stalls have come up near Gadagadia Ghat on the banks of Mahanadi in Cuttack, from where lakhs of devotees start their journey to different shrines.

A temporary food stall owner near Gadagadia temple here claims to have made a profit of `50,000 by investing around `20,000 during the last two weeks. He has erected a stall to feed at least 100 devotees.

Another trader, Prahalad Sahoo, has put up a puja stall selling ‘prasad’, coconuts, brass and earthen pots and and claims to have made a profit of `15,000.