Sea of devotees throngs Puri to witness Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra
After a two-year break, devotees are once again witnessing the grand chariot processions of ‘Mahaprabhu’ Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra as they get ready for the annual Rath Yatra to Gundicha temple.
Puri in Odisha is all prepared with thousands of devotees already in the holy town to witness the celebrations at the 12 century iconic shrine of highly revered deity Lord Jagannath. The famous temple town on the east coast of the country has turned into a sea of humanity amid rhythmic swaying of Tahiya (traditional headgear) and chariots rolling with devotees singing hymns along the way.
All the rituals are proceeding as planned with the Mangala Alati and Mailama niti of Lord Jagannath completed by early morning. Arati, Avakasha, Rosa homa (puja in the temple kitchen), Surya and Dwarapala Puja, Sakala Dhupa (cooked food offering), Mangal Arpana were conducted inside the temple as planned.
Amid chanting of ‘Jai Jagannath’, the Holy Trinity (Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra) were led to to their respective chariots stationed in front of the Singhadwar on Friday morning.
To start with, Chakraraj Sudarsan was ushered to Nandighosha chariot (of Lord Jagannath) on Dhadi Pahandi procession, which was followed by the Pahandi of Lord Balabhadra to Taladhwaja chariot. Later, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath were placed atop their respective chariots.
Dhadi Pahandi is the ritual that happens on the day of Ratha Yatra. A grand procession leads the deities from the sanctum sanctorum of the Srimandir to their respective chariots. The ritual is much-loved by devotees who witness the ceremony carried out amid beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of conches by a special group of servitors.
Earlier, the Pahandi Bije ritual was held as planned with Lord Sudarshan, the main weapon of Lord Vishnu-an incarnation of Jagannath, being carried in a procession. After that, Lord Balabhadra was taken out in a Pahandi, followed by sister Devi Subhadra and younger brother, the Lord Of the Universe, Lord Jagannath.
Meanwhile, the Puri district administration is on guard with 39 fire services personnel manning the beach to prevent drowning during the Rath Yatra. About 10 fire pumps will be there at Bada Danda to discharge water. A special rescue team will also be engaged by Puri Fire Services department for round the clock service to the needy.
“Our trained personnel will be ready both in the Grand Road and also in the sea beach to intervene in any possible untoward incident,” deputy general of police, fire service, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay said, PTI reported. About 200 platoons of armed police personnel, including 1,000 officers, are guarding Puri with CCTV cameras in place at important locations.
“We expect a large gathering of about 10 lakh on Ratha Yatra as people are allowed to participate in the festival after a gap of two years,” development commissioner, P K Jena, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The Rath Yatra is one of the oldest religious events which finds reference in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita. The Rath Yatra or Jatra is the celebration of Lord Jagannath, who is believed to be on an annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple to meet his maternal aunt.
