Govt puts in place arrangements for incident-free Bahuda Yatra
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Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the recent stampede outside Gundicha Temple that left three devotees dead, the govt on Friday said comprehensive arrangements have been made for smooth management of Bahuda Yatra in Puri on Saturday.
The return journey will see Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra travel back from their birthplace at Gundicha Temple, where they had arrived during Rath Yatra. The deities are scheduled to enter Jagannath Temple on July 8 on the occasion of Niladri Bije.
"We anticipate crowd similar to Rath Yatra during Bahuda Yatra. No stone has been left unturned to ensure hassle-free conduct of the key festival," said Puri district collector Chanchal Rana, who along with SP Pinak Mishra were appointed by the govt on June 29, hours after the stampede deaths.
DGP Y B Khurania, who oversaw security arrangements in Puri on Friday, laid stress on effective crowd control. "We are fully prepared with our renewed crowd control, traffic and security arrangements. Officers who are assigned with specific duties have been instructed to remain extremely vigilant. We urge devotees to cooperate with us and adhere to traffic and crowd control protocols," Khurania said.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) held a series of meetings with servitors, highlighting timely completion of rituals.
CM Mohan Charan Majhi recently visited Puri and held a meeting with servitors, urging them to perform the rituals in a disciplined manner.
As per the temple administration, Pahandi ritual of the deities is scheduled to start at 12pm during which the idols would be escorted from the Gundicha Temple onto the chariots amid a musical procession. Pahandi ritual is scheduled to end around 2:30pm.
Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb is scheduled to perform his hereditary Chhera Pahanra ritual on the chariots between 2:30pm and 3:30pm.
The chariot pulling ceremony is scheduled to commence around 4pm.
On the eve of Bahuda Yatra, a large number of devotees thronged Gundicha Temple to offer prayers on the auspicious occasion of Sandhya Darshan on Friday. "There is a belief that darshan of the deities in Gundicha Temple on Sandhya Darshan is divine bliss. I cannot express my feelings," said Tanuja Mohapatra, a devotee from Bhubaneswar.
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