Bhubaneswar, April 24 (IANS): The sacred neem tree (Daru) to carve out the idol of goddess Subhadra has been identified in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, Suresh Mohapatra, chief of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), said on Friday.

Mohapatra said the tree was identified at the premises of Nilakantheswara temple in Odisha's Adhanga village.

The district administration and police have been asked to take necessary measures to protect the Daru and manage crowd since thousands of people are expected to throng the site to be blessed by the deity.

The Banajaga team was in search of the sacred wood for making the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings ahead of the Nabakalebar festival to be held at the Jagannath temple in Puri in June.

The formal announcement of neem tree to be used for carving out the idol of lord Jagannath would be announced soon, said Mohapatra.

The Daru of Lord Sudarshan, which was collected from Gadakantunia village on the outskirt of Bhubaneswar, has reached Puri.

The logs have been placed at Koili Baikuntha at the Shree Jagannath Temple.