Puri soaked in religious fervour as Rath Yatra begins
Puri: Religious fervour gripped the pilgrim town of Puri as the grand Rath Yatra commenced on Friday with the holy triad -- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra -- stepping out of their sanctum sanctorum in the divine 'Pahandi' ritual.
In a convergence of devotion, over 10 lakh devotees gathered in Puri to witness the Rath Yatra. Thousands of people pulled the ropes attached with chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on the Grand Road from near the 12th-century shrine here towards Shree Gundicha temple, around 2.6 km away. Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and several other dignitaries were among those who pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra.
Amid chanting of 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Hari Bol', beating of cymbals and blowing of trumpets and conch shells, the 'Taladhwaja' chariot of Lord Balabhadra first started rolling at 4.08 pm. It was followed by Devi Subhadra's 'Darpadalana' chariot and finally Lord Jagannath's 'Nandighosha'.
While the devotees were pulling the chariots, the priests surrounded the deities on the chariots as the procession made its way through the Grand Road of this temple town. While thousands of people pulled chariots, lakhs of others also reached the seaside temple town to participate in the festival.
The chariot pulling started after Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, performed 'Chhera Pahanra' (sweeping of chariots) on all three chariots. Wooden horses of different colours were fitted on three chariots before they were pulled by the devotees.
Earlier, the trinity, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, ascended their respective chariots after over two-hour long ceremonial 'Pahandi' ritual. During 'Pahandi', the three wooden idols were carried to the chariots from the 12th-century Jagannath temple.
Odissi dancers, folk artistes, music players and many other groups drawn from different parts of the State performed before the idols. The Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, along with selected disciples, visited the three chariots after the deities were placed on them. The 81-year-old seer came near the chariots in a wheelchair. The Shankaracharya's visit is also part of the Rath Yatra rituals.
Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Puri MP Sambit Patra, Odisha ministers and several others witnessed the ceremonial Pahandi, one of the major attractions of Rath Yatra in Puri.
The festival is being held amid unprecedented security arrangements with deployment of around 10,000 personnel of Odisha Police, Central Armed Police Force, NSG and others. 'We have made all possible arrangements for smooth conduct of Rath Yatra,' DGP Y B Khurania told reporters, adding that over 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras were installed to keep a watch on the crowd. ADGP (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said the arrangements are made in view of some information following the Pahalgam terror attack.
'Several Central government agencies are collaborating with Odisha Police, including NSG snipers, Coast Guard drones and anti-drone systems. Canine teams and Odisha's anti-sabotage units are also engaged in duty here,' he said.
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