Puri: After a night halt, the chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath resumed their journey to Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Friday as part of the annual Rath Yatra festival.
Thousands of devotees congregated in the pilgrim town to participate in the pulling of the three majestic chariots during the world-famous festival, which commenced on Thursday. The chariot pulling had been suspended the previous evening due to fading light and safety reasons.
Scores of devotees thronged the sprawling Bada Danda to witness the sacred journey a
nd participate in the ceremonial pulling of the chariots amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Haribol’. The procession drew large crowds as devotees offered prayers and sought the blessings of the sibling deities.
Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja chariot had come to a halt at the Market Chhak, while Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalana stopped at Marchikote Chhak. Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha had moved only a short distance from the Singhadwara before the day’s procession ended on Thursday.
According to officials, all necessary rituals on the chariots were completed before the pulling resumed. The administration is hopeful of bringing all three chariots to the Sharadhabali area near Shree Gundicha Temple by evening.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said the deities are expected to reach Shree Gundicha Temple by evening, while the Adapa Bije ritual will not be performed on Friday and has been rescheduled for Saturday.
Despite intermittent rain on Thursday, an estimated nine lakh devotees had gathered in Puri to witness the sacred event. The festivities were marred by the death of two devotees amid sudden crowd surge during the Rath Yatra clebrations.