Bakulaban Mahotsab celebrated with grand fervour

Sakhigopal ( Zee Kalinga Live) : Bakulaban Mahotsab celebrated with grand fervour at Damodar Kalyan Mandap under Sakhigopal in Puri district . Sadhu charan Behera presided th occasion .Former MP Dr. Prasanna kumar Pattasani , Satyabadi MLA Om Prakash Mishra ,Zilla Parisad Member Bishnupriya Baral and founder of Bakulban Mahotsab Sachikanta Biswal graced the occasion . This cultural programme was co-ordinated by Social worker Jajati Keshari Roy . Satyabadi is renowned for being the location where Pandit Gopabandhu Das, a prominent social reformer, educator, and freedom fighter, established the Satyabadi Bana Vidyalaya (school) and launched the “Satyabadi” newspaper, making it a hub for his nationalist and educational endeavors. Sakhigopal is well known for its beautiful ancient temple of Lord Satyabadi Gopinath. Pilgrimage to Lord Jagannath temple in Puri is considered incomplete without darshan here. The temple and its lore is deeply intertwined with Lord Jagannath culture. Sakhigopal was a focal point of Odisha’s Swadeshi movement and modern social, cultural and education reforms. Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das along with his friends Pandit Nilakantha Das, Pandit Godabarish Mishra, Acharya Harihar Das and Pandit Krupasindhu Mishra, are known as the Pancha Sakha of modern Odisha. In 1909, Pandit Gopabandhu established an ideal school, Satyabadi Vana Vidyalaya at Sakhigopal. This was a catalyst in spreading national consciousness, in Odisha. Learned and progressive teachers like Pandit Nilakantha Das, Acharya Harihar Das, Pandit Godabarish Mishra along with Gopabandhu introduced a new pattern of education. This path-breaking school was inspired by the Deccan Education Society and modeled on the guru kula tradition. Pandit Gopabandhu felt that education was vital in making children realize their full potential. They needed personal freedom to understand and freely explore different subjects and ideas. They also needed to have a strong spiritual grounding and understand their duties and responsibilities.