Odisha CM, Union Ministers Join Thousands To Witness Rath Yatra In Puri [In Pictures]

Puri: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Deputy CMs K V Singh Deo, Pravati Parida, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan and BJP MP Sambit Patra , among others, arrived in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Friday morning to participate in the annual Rath Yatra.

The event marks the nine-day sojourn of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, from Shree Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple, which is considered to be their birthplace.

Upon his arrival, the CM was received by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, DGP Y B Khurania, Director (Intelligence) R P Koche & his Private Secretary Manoj Sahoo. BJP’s Odisha Prabhari Vijaypal Singh Tomar accompanied him.

The ‘Pahandi’ ritual of the deities when they are being carried in a procession from the 12th-century shrine to their respective chariots for Rath Yatra has been completed, despite beginning an hour late.

Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb will soon arrive on a palanquin from his royal palace, which is about 300 metres from the temple, to perform ‘Chherapahanra’ (sweeping of the decks of three chariots with a golden broom) atop the three chariots scheduled to be held between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm. Following this, wooden horses will be fixed to the chariots. Sarathis (charioteers) will mount the three chariots before it is pulled by millions of devotees, who have thronged the pilgrim town, at 4 pm to the Shree Gundicha Temple, located about 2.6 km away.

“The initial rituals of Mahaprabhu’s Rath Yatra have been completed. Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Balabhadra ji, Maa Subhadra and Sudarshan ji have now boarded the chariots. I thank Odisha CM Mohan Majhi, and minister Prithviraj Harichandan, district and state administrations for such arrangements,” said Dharmendra.

On the occasion, Governor Hari Babu Kambham Pati and the CM also unveiled the special Rath Yatra edition of Utkal Prasanga, published by the Information and Public Relations Department, at the Lion’s Gate.

The CM along with state Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling was also seen distributing Tanka Torani among devotee at a stall set up under the aegis of Odisha Police’s Karuna initiative.

Earlier in the day, the Union Ministers along with BJP MP Sambit Patra visited Govardhan Mutt and met Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.

Dharmendra Pradhan and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with other BJP leaders and state ministers also participated in a food distribution service organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the pilgrim town on the occasion of Rath Yatra.

They also visited the state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Puri, developed by the Odisha Police in collaboration with the homegrown startup IG Drones. The ICCC has been pivotal in ensuring safety and efficiency during the world-famous Rath Yatra, marking a significant milestone in modernised crowd and security management with 500 CCTVs, drones, anti-drone systems, and AI analytics.

In view of the Pahalgam terror attack and heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Puri has been placed under a five-tiered security blanket for the nine-day-long festival. A total of 200 platoons of police force and eight companies of the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force are stationed in the city. Police deployments have risen from 6,500 last year to over 10,000 this year. An anti-terror squad, armed vehicles, and NSG snipers, along with AI-enabled CCTV cameras and drones, have been deployed to ensure a safe festival.