New Delhi: The world’s largest chariot festival, the Rath Yatra, has begun in Puri. Lord Jagannath embarks on a journey with his brother, Lord Balabhadra, and sister, Devi Subhadra, to their aunt’s house—the Gundicha Temple. Amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Hari Bol’, devotees pull the grand chariots of the three deities through the streets of Puri.
Thousands of individuals pulled the ropes attached to the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings along a road from close to the 12th-century shrine to the Shree Gundicha temple, approximately 2.6 km away, marking the commencement of the Rath Yatra festival on Friday.
Among those who participated in pulling the chariots were Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and several other dignitaries.
With shouts of “Jai Jagannath” and “Hari Bol,” as well as the sounds of cymbals, trumpets, and conch shells, the ‘Taladwaja’ chariot of Lord Balabhadra began its journey at 4.08 pm. This was followed by the ‘Darpadalan’ chariot of Devi Subhadra and, ultimately, Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nandighosh’ chariot.
As the devotees pulled the chariots, priests surrounded the deities on them during the procession through the Grand Road of this temple town. While thousands were engaged in pulling the chariots, millions of others flooded into the seaside temple town to join the festival.
Officials indicated that approximately one million devotees are expected to have gathered in the town for the annual car festival.
The chariot pulling commenced after the titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb, performed ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (the ceremonial sweeping of the chariots) for all three chariots. Wooden horses of various colours were affixed to the three chariots before devotees began to pull them.
Before this, the trinity of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath ascended their respective chariots following a ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ ritual that lasted about two hours. During ‘Pahandi,’ the three wooden idols were transported from the 12th-century Jagannath temple to the chariots.
Odissi dancers, folk performers, musicians, and other groups from different regions of the state showcased their talents before the idols.
The Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, along with select disciples, visited the three chariots after the deities had been placed on them. The 81-year-old seer arrived near the chariots using a wheelchair. His visit is also a part of the rituals associated with Rath Yatra.
Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Puri MP Sambit Patra, along with various Odisha ministers, were present to witness the ceremonial Pahandi, one of the key attractions of the Rath Yatra in Puri.
The festival is taking place with extraordinary security measures, including the deployment of roughly 10,000 personnel from the Odisha police, central armed police forces, NSG, and other agencies. “We have made every possible arrangement for the smooth execution of Rath Yatra,” DGP YB Khurania conveyed to reporters, mentioning that more than 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the crowd.
ADGP (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar explained that these measures have been implemented in light of specific information following the Pahalgam terror incident. “Several central government agencies are working in collaboration with the Odisha Police, including NSG snipers, Coast Guard drones, and anti-drone systems. Canine teams and anti-sabotage units from Odisha are also active during this duty,” he stated.
