Puri: Lakhs of devotees thronged the Grand Road in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Friday to witness the Bahuda Yatra of the Lords of Shree Jagannath Temple after their week-long annual sojourn to the Gundicha Temple.
Amid the resonant beats of gongs, conches, and cymbals, the sacred Bahuda Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra from the Gundicha Temple to the 12th century shrine began on a devotional note with the completion of the Pahandi ritual.
The ceremonial pahandi procession unfolded with great reverence as the idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, were carried from the Gundicha Temple to their respective chariots parked in front of the shrine.
The ritual drew lakhs of devotees, who gathered along the Grand Road to witness one of the most significant events of the annual Rath Yatra festival.
Following the pahandi ritual, Lord Balabhadra was seated on the Taladhwaja chariot, Devi Subhadra on the Darpadalana, and Lord Jagannath on the Nandighosha chariot.
The pulling of the three majestic chariots is set to begin after the Chhera Pahanra ritual by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri.
Observed on Ashadha Shukla Dashami, the sacred day marks the return journey of the deities from Shree Gundicha Temple back to the 12th-century Srimandir after their annual sojourn to janmabedi (birthplace).
During the journey, Lord Jagannath’s chariot will halt at the Mausi Maa Temple, where the deity will be offered the traditional Poda Pitha as part of the ritual.
As the seaside pilgrim town witnessed an overwhelming influx of devotees for the festival, elaborate security, traffic regulation, crowd management and emergency response arrangements have been put in place to ensure the smooth conduct of the event.
