Baripada Rath Yatra Live On Social Media

Baripada: Taladhwaja of Lord Balabhadra at Haribaldev Jew temple, considered the Dwitiya Sreekhetra, in Mayurbhanj district will begin to roll at 2.30 PM on Friday.

The chariots of the sibling deities are pulled here a day after the the world famous Rath Yatra in Puri. However, this is not the only place with this tradition. Tulasi Khetra Kendrapara and Sabar Khetra Koraput will also witness the chariot-pulling ritual today.

Keeping with the changing time and space, the rituals like ‘Surya puja’, ‘abakash’, ‘Ratha pratistha’ and ‘cherra pahanra’ were broadcast live from the Haribaldev Jew temple this year on Thursday.

The ‘pahandi bije’ began at around 7 PM with beating of drums and tribals showcasing folk forms. Members of the royal family Maharaja Prabin Chandra Bhanjdeo and his wife Maharani Rajalaxmi Bhanjdeo were present.

Rath Yatra is a three-day affair here. “The deities will stay on the chariots after the ‘sadhya arati’ and ‘pohada’. As per tradition, the chariots will be pulled the next day. Legend has it that Lord had told devotees that he would visit them in Baripada after the rituals get over in Puri,”  priest Pradip Kumar Panda said.

After Taladhwaja reaches Gundicha temple, Devidalana of Devi Subhadra will pulled by women devotee till Town Police Station in the evening and resumed the next day. Both Devidalana and Nandighosa of Lord Jagannath will be pulled to Gundicha temple by devotees, the following day. The sibling deities will be taken inside the temple after completion of all rituals at around 11 PM on Saturday, he added.

“We decided to broadcast the Rath Yatra live on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube in an attempt to showcase the popular festival of Dwitiya Sreekhetra for the people staying outside Mayurbhanj,” said Sub-Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida.

Lakhs of devotees from northern Odisha districts and neighbouring states throng Baripada to witness Rath Yatra.