Navi Mumbai: The Jagannath temple at Sector 5 in Kharghar celebrated Bahuda Yatra Festival amidst great fanfare and spiritual fervour.
All religious rituals, which commenced in the wee hours of the morning, were performed before the deities at Adap Mandap inside Gundicha temple in Harihar Peetha. In the afternoon, the four deities were taken in Pahandi procession from Gundicha temple to the aesthetically and elegantly decorated chariot stationed in front of the temple.
Dr Bhagwan Panda, president and trustee of the temple’s managing body Maharashtra Odia Welfare Association (MOWA), did the traditional Chhera Pahanra at 2 pm.
At around 4 pm, the return journey of the Lord of the Universe commenced.
The chariot was pulled back from Harihar Peetha to the main temple amidst kirtan and singing of bhajans by the devotees and servitors in the evening.
The streets of Navi Mumbai reverberated with recitals of hymns, shouting of slogans like hari bol, Jai Jagannath and playing of musical instruments like ghanta, mardala, karatala, jhanja and mrudanga.
After the return journey, the Gods and Goddess will remain on the chariot for public darshan. On July 6, rituals of adornment of golden attire and observation of Ekadashi will be performed in the chariot, while on July 7, the idols will be taken inside the temple for performing Dhadi Pahandi and will be placed on the Sanctum Sanctorum.
All the arrangements of the Bahuda Yatra festival were managed and smoothly conducted under the stewardship of MOWA trustees Dr Panda, Balaram Patro, Dr Manoj Kumar Nayak, Dr Ketan Gokhale, BC Khatua, Capt. S P Rao, Bighnaraj Parida, Maguni Raut and vice-president P M Mahapatra along with other members of the managing committee.
