Puri: As a sea of devotees gathered at the pilgrim town of Puri to witness Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and siblings, pulling of chariots carrying the deities encountered unexpected disruption on Friday.
While Taladwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra first started rolling on the Grand Road at around 4.10 pm, Darpadalan of Devi Subhadra was next to follow.
However, the pulling of Nandighosa chariot of Lord Jagannath faced inordinate delay. The chariot finally began rolling at around 7.45 pm.
As per sources, the chariot of Lord Jagannath was pulled for a short distance before the pulling was halted. Following this, chariot-pulling activities were suspended for the day.
Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said that the chariot pulling will resume tomorrow.
On the other hand, the two other chariots also faced roadblocks. Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra was halted at Balagandi Chhak. Similarly, Devi Subhadra’s chariot stopped near the Town Police Station at Marichikot.
Speaking to reporters, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said all the rituals were performed at the stipulated time this year without any problem and the chariot pulling was also started as per schedule around 4 pm.
However, it took a lot of time to take forward the chariot of Lord Balabhadra and there was a delay. Moreover, the number of devotees who thronged the Grand Road for the car festival was unexpectedly much higher compared to previous years, he said.
Because of the delay, the chariot pulling had to be halted as per the ritual and it will resume on Saturday morning, the Minister added.
