Puri: Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad thronged the seaside pilgrim town of Puri in Odisha to witness the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings on Friday.
The devotees burst into ecstasy as many of them pulled forward the three majestic chariots from the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri towards Gundicha temple, around 3 km away, amid devotion and fervour.
The ‘yatra’ started around 4.10 pm after Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanada Saraswati visited the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with his disciples and the Puri’s titular king completed the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (chariot sweeping) ritual.
Lord Balabhadra’s chariot Taladwaja rolled on the Bada Danda first, followed by Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalan chariot and Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot.
Amid sounds of gongs, cymbals and conches and ‘Hari Bol’ chants reverberating the cloudy sky, the three divine chariots carrying the sibling deities rolled on the Grand Road for their nine-day sojourn to Gundicha Temple.
Devotees, security personnel and servitors pulled the chariots with devotion after completion of all rituals.
The sibling deities ascended their respective chariots after the completion of the ‘Pahandi’ ritual. Jai Jagannath’ chants, sounds of gongs, conches and cymbals reverberated through the air at the Singhadwar of the Puri temple as Lord Sudarshan was first escorted to Darpadalan, the chariot of Devi Subhadra.
Following Lord Sudarshan, Lord Balabhadra was taken to his Taladhwaja chariot. Goddess Subhadra, the sister of Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra, was brought to her Darpadalan chariot in a special ‘dhadi pahandi’ procession by servitors.
Finally, Lord Jagannath was taken to his chariot in a ceremonial procession amid the sounds of gongs. In the ‘Pahandi’ ritual, deities are brought from the temple to the chariots.
Descending from the ‘Ratna Sinhasana’, the bejewelled throne, the three deities were taken out of the temple down the 22 steps known as ‘Baisi Pahacha’ through the Singha Dwar.
Several rituals like ‘Mangla Arati’ and ‘Mailam’ were held before the presiding deities set out from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Lakhs of devotees have converged in Puri for the annual festival. While most of the devotees were from Odisha and the neighbouring states, many from abroad also joined in what is considered one of the largest religious processions globally, officials said.
