For the first time in its over three century old history, the Rath Mela at Jagannathpur in Ranchi is mostly likely to be cancelled this year in view of social distancing measures that need to be followed because of the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The annual 10-day mela was being held for 329 years since it began in 1691 and has been a big draw for local residents, including tribals from villages around Ranchi, who throng the fair to by a variety of items ranging from musical instruments and fishing traps to toys and clothes.

A final announcement on the fair’s cancellation is yet to be made, the mela is unlikely to be held this year due to restrictions imposed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As per latest guidelines issued by the Jharkhand government on Thursday, all religious places will remain closed till June 30. As such, the bathing ritual, or “snan yatra” of Lord Jagannath, an important ritual before Ratha Yatra slated for June 23, was a low-key affair on Friday, performed in the presence of a limited number of priests.

Unlike what is done every year, deities of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Balaram and Subhadra, weren’t taken out of the sanctum sanctorum, or garbha griha, this time. Instead, the rituals were conducted indoors.

On the day of Ratha yatra, the deities are taken out in a chariot to “Mousi Bari” about half a kilometrr away and again brought back after nine days on the day of Ghurti Rath. In Ranchi, the return journey of the Lord and his siblings is conducted a day after it is observed in Puri (Odisha) and elsewhere.

The management committee of the temple is learnt to have approached the administration for allowing the rituals to continue, but it is yet to hear from it.

Even if the rituals are allowed with a limited number of priests and the devotees, the annual fair is unlikely to be held as it would be impossible to maintain social distancing.

The Jagannathpur temple of Ranchi is famous in its own right. Legend has it that the then local ruler, Aini Nath Shahdeo, was extremely depressed at one time when he could not make it to Puri for the festival. But then the Lord himself appeared to him in a dream and is said to have instructed him to build a temple for him in Ranchi.

Shahdeo was able to complete construction of the Jagannath temple in 1690. The fair started the following year and has continued uninterrupted ever since. Tribals, who were in a majority in the area at the time, patronised the mela and eventually, it became a great attraction for them.

As Ranchi grew and its contours and demography changed with time, the mela started to look more like an urban affair. But tribals still visit the fair in large numbers even today.

Ranchi has a number of fairs these days. But the Jagannathpur mela is a unique attraction as it is open to all and has no entrance fee.