Puri: All three chariots with the sibling deities of Shree Jagannath Temple reached Saradha Bali in front of the Gundicha Temple for their annual sojourn in the pilgrim town of Puri in Odisha on Saturday.
All three chariots are now parked at Saradha Bali in front of the Gundicha Temple. Lord Jagannath’s chariot Nandighosha arrived at Saradhabali shortly after 1 pm following Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhawja and Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalan reached the Gundicha Temple.
The chariot pulling, halted midway on the Grand Road on Friday evening, resumed at 9.30 am on Saturday as per the schedule revised by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
Regarding delay in chariot pulling, both Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan and SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said every event associated with the Rath Yatra is taking place as per the wish of Lord Jagannath.
As per sources, the chariots carrying the sibling deities failed to move forward on the Grand Road after completion of all rituals during Ratha Yatra. While Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja chariot stopped at Balagandi Chhak, Devi Subhadra’s chariot halted near Marichikot. However, Lord Jagannath’s chariot did not move more than a few metres despite efforts by devotees and security personnel in the evening.
Sources said that several issues appeared when devotees and security personnel started pulling Taladhwaja chariot as it reportedly took turn several times. Finally, it was stopped at Balagandi Chhak.
The temple administration decided to halt the chariot pulling and resume the exercise in the morning.
