The tourism department of Odisha seems to be leaving no stone unturned in creating a high-pitched buzz for the forthcoming Nabakalebara of Jagannath, an auspicious ritual which entails replacement of idols in the main temple. The ritual will be performed after a gap of 19 years (coinciding with the famous Jagannath Rath Yatra) and the state government is expecting a footfall of three to five million devotees from both India and abroad in the month of July.
The state tourism department has adopted a multi-pronged promotional strategy – both online and offline – and now it is contemplating making use of the popular trains in the country to send its message. “The department has initiated the process of painting the exterior of a few important trains for it besides promoting the tourism potential of the state,” Odisha Tourism recently posted on its Twitter page. According to a newspaper report, the state tourism department has already approached Indian Railways asking for their advertisement tariff. “We have sought the advertisement tariff from the railways. We will shortly float expression of interest to engage an agency to implement the project,” Arvind Padhee, Tourism Secretary, Odisha was quoted as saying in the report. In specific terms, Odisha tourism is believed to be keen to paint the exteriors of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani and Trivandrum Rajdhani which journey through several states.
Odisha Tourism has already roped in globally renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik to be part of an extensive promotional campaign on television channels. India Post too will be contributing to Nabakalebara promotional drive by releasing a special stamp to mark the occasion. In addition, the state IT department is working on a dedicated portal which will showcase the magnificence of Nabakalebara ritual.
