The holy neem tree (Daru), which will be used for making idol of Lord Balabhadra, was located near Sarala Temple in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Friday.
Jagannath Temple Administration made the formal announcement on identification of suitable Daru on Friday morning. Soon after the announcement, hundreds of devotees rushed to Sarala Temple. To keep the holy tree out of bound for devotees, Jagatsinghpur district administration immediately barricaded the place.
This is the second holy tree identified by servitors of Shri Jagannath Temple. Two more trees for Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra remain to be located.
Identification of four neem trees is part of famous Nabakalebara Festival, which is being observed after 19 years.
