Lord, along with siblings, begins annual sojourn amid Jai Jagannath chants in Vizag
There was an air of festivity along the main thoroughfares of the city on Friday as tall 'Rathas' (chariots) carrying the deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Bhalabhadra and Godess Subhadra pulled by devotees moved at a slow pace, with cultural troupes performing before the grand processions, and devotees trying to catch a glimpse of the deities.
The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra organised by ISKCON, Hare Krishna Movement, Utkal Samaj and Sri Jagannadha Swamy temple drew devotees in large numbers.
Devotees gathered on either side of the road and prayed to the deities. Many devotees took selfies and pictures before the chariots. Some of the artistes and cultural troupes, who came to perform before the chariots, took pictures of their groups. The overcast sky and cool weather provided a welcome relief to those pulling the chariot and the artistes participating in the processions.
Traditional dances, bhajans, congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and chants of 'Jai Jagannath' marked the commencement of the 18th Annual Sri Jagannath Rath Yatra from the Central Park, near the GVMC.
The procession began after Mataji Nitasevini broke a coconut and ceremoniously swept the ground in front of the chariot, symbolising service.
Visakhapatnam West MLA PGVR Naidu (Ganababu) inaugurated the Rath Yatra. The procession passed through Dabagardens, Jagadamba junction, Ram Nagar Main Road, before culminating at Gurajada Kalakshetram, where special Vedic rituals were performed by priests.
The Rath Yatra, organised by Utkal Sanskrutika Samaj, began from the Sri Jagannath temple at Daspalla Hills, after sweeping of the chariot by J.K. Nayak, president of the Samaj. The procession passed through VMRDA Children Arena, AU Out Gate and VUDA Park to reach the Gundicha temple, at Lawson's Bay Colony, where the deities would be in sojourn till July 5.
Marwadi Yuva Manch provided drinking water. General secretary of the Samaj, Bimal Kumar Mahanta was present.
Scores of devotees participated in the Jagannadha Swamy Radha Yatra from Town Kotha Road to the Turner's Choultry. Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat, and Visakhapatnam South MLA Vamsikrishna Srinivas inaugurated the yatra after the rituals, by pulling the rope. The chariots of Embar Mannar and Sri Kodanda Ramaswamy temples followed the chariot of Sri Jagannadha Swamy.
Endowments Commissioner N. Sujata, Assistant Commissioner Annapurna, temple EO T. Rajagopal Reddy were among those who participated in the Rath Yatra.
As one side of the road was occupied by the chariots and devotees, vehicles were allowed to ply on the other side causing traffic snarls at a few junctions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
IIC & royal scion perform Chhera Pahanra in Jajpur
JAJPUR: The Rath Yatra of the holy Trinity was celebrated at various places including Dharamsala and Gadamadhupur in Jajpur district on Friday. In Dharamsala, the Chhera Pahanra ritual was performed by the IIC of the local police station. The ceremonial sweeping of the chariots at Gadamadhupur was conducted by the royal scion. On the day, Dharmasala IIC Ranjan Kumar Majhi was brought to the Jagannath temple at Bhalukhai in a specially-decorated vehicle from the police station. He performed the ritual on the chariot with a golden broom. Similarly, 47-year-old Aparna Dhir Singh Bharadwaj, the scion of Gadamadhupur royal family, performed Chhera Pahanra and other ceremonial rituals of the Trinity at Gadamadhupur. The annual sojourn of the holy Trinity at Chhatia attracted a huge crowd of devotees. The three chariots were pulled from Chhatia to Badaghumuri, covering a distance of about 12 km. The chariots covered at least 8 km on National Highway-16. Rath Yatra was also celebrated at Sukinda, Jajpur Town, Ichhapur, Naguan, Bahadalapur, Bari, Haripur, Kuakhia, Narasinghpur, Jagannathpur, Jenapur, Chausathipada, Dasarathapur, Brahmabarada, Binjharpur, Narasinghpur, Talagarh and Darpani.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Rath Yatra celebrated with fervour in Cuttack
CUTTACK: Cuttack soaked in festive fervour as devotees thronged Jagannath temples across the city to take part in Rath Yatra celebrations. As usual, the Jagannath temples at Chandni Chowk and Dolamundai were the major attractions and witnessed a massive turnout. At Chandni Chowk, the Rath Yatra, first celebrated in 1996 and held in a grander fashion since the temple's permanent structure was completed in 2001, began early in the morning. The temple opened its doors at 5 am, followed by rituals including Mangal Alati, Mailam Lagi, and Surya Puja. The Pahandi Bije procession commenced around 9:30 am, and the ceremonial Chhera Pahanra was performed at noon. By 2 pm, the chariots had begun their journey to the temporary Gundicha temple near Bellevue Square. Similarly, at Dolamundai, the Patitapaban temple opened at 4 am. Following the morning rituals, the Pahandi Bije was completed by 3 pm. The pulling of the chariots started at 4 pm with hundreds of devotees lined up for the divine procession. According to tradition, the chariots made a stop at Seminary Chhak, where members of the Muslim community from the Mahala Committee and Chand Club offered bhoga to the deities. The chariots were then pulled back to Chandan Padia near Dolamundai, where the Gundicha temple is located. The chariots of Devi Subhadra were exclusively pulled by women at both Chandni Chowk and Dolamundai. Another major crowd-puller was the Rath Yatra of the Baladevjew temple at Ranihat, celebrated for the ninth time since its inception in 2015. Here, the three deities were placed on a single chariot. The Chhera Pahanra ritual was performed by collector Dattatreya Bhausaheb Shinde at around 5 pm, after which the chariot made its way through Ranihat and College Square before returning to the Gundicha temple at Ranihat Durga Mandap. The Commissionerate Police made elaborate security arrangements and traffic regulations to ensure smooth and peaceful conduct of the festival across the city.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Lord! Stuck on grand road
PURI: Inexplicable delay marked the Rath Yatra as none of the three chariots could even be pulled half the distance from Shree Jagannath Temple en route to Gundicha Temple and chaos reigned supreme at the annual festival of the holy Trinity on Friday. Erratic movement of Lord Balabhadra's Taladhwaja and an uncontrollable crowd triggered a chain of events in which Nandighosha, Lord Jagannath's chariot which is the last to be pulled, could barely move a few metres and had to halt for the night along Badadanda (Grand Road) at around 7.45 pm. By the end of the day, which was well into the evening, Taladhwaja was stationed at Balgandi Chhak, while Devi Subhadra's Darpadalana had to be stopped at Marichikot. Lord Jagannath's chariot was pulled for just about 10 metres in a ritualistic manner and halted close to Singhadwara (Lions' Gate) of Shree Jagannath temple. Temple chief administrator Arabinda Padhee informed that pulling of the three chariots will resume at 9.30 am on Saturday. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said despite some delay in the beginning, rituals were completed on time. 'Everything happens as per the Lord's wish. It is the Lord's blessing that this year's Rath Yatra was incident-free,' the minister said. As per the schedule, 'pahandi' or ushering in of the deities was to start by 9.30 am and end at 11.30 am. However, the 'dhadi pahandi' of the Trinity began nearly two hours late and after Shankaracharya Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati offered his prayers to the deities atop their chariots, 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual by Puri King Dibyasingha Deb started at around 2.30 pm. By 3.30 pm, the 'charamala' of the three chariots were removed one by one and wooden horses were fixed. While temple administration was at loss to clarify on what led to the delay in pulling of Taladhwaja, overcrowding and uncontrolled pulling of the chariot was witnessed right from the beginning.
