Puri: Lakhs of devotees thronged seaside pilgrim town Puri in Odisha on Sunday to witness Lord Jagannath’s annual Rath Yatra.
This year, the usually one-day festival will be a two-day affair from July 7 in 53 years due to specific celestial arrangements. It was last held for two days in 1971.
The Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements for smooth and timely conduct of the annual sojourn of the Lords of Shree Jagannath Temple here. Special security arrangements are in place as President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to participate in the festival. While a VIP zone has been planned for the Odisha governor, chief minister, Union ministers and other dignitaries, a buffer zone has been planned for the President, ADG (law and order) Sanjay Kumar told the media.
Around 180 platoons of police led by three additional DGPs and several IGPs have been deputed on President’s security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended wishes on the auspicious occasion “Greetings on the start of the sacred Rath Yatra. We bow to Mahaprabhu Jagannath and pray that His blessings constantly remain upon us,” he posted on X.
THE YATRA
The atmosphere is filled with celebrations, devotional songs, and the vibrant energy of the devotees.
The pulling of the chariots will be delayed as vital rituals – Rath Yatra along with Nabajoubana Darshana & Netrotsav- will be performed on a single day. The pahandi (ceremonial procession) of the deities will begin by 1.30 pm and completed by 2.30 pm. During this ritual, the deities, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, are brought out of temple and placed on their respective chariots amidst the chanting of hymns and the beating of drums.
Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha deb will perform ‘chherapahanra’ (sweeping of the decks of three chariots with a golden broom) and it will be completed by 4 pm. The pulling of the chariots will begin by 5 pm.
The chariots will be pulled to a short distance as per the tradition before the sun sets and again on Monday.
This marks the sibling deities’ journey to their maternal place, Gundicha Temple, which will conclude with their return after eight days.
THE SCHEDULE
Mangala Alati – 2 am (Night)
Mailam – 2.10 am
Abakasha – 2.30 am
Dasa Avtar Thakura Bahuda Bije – 2.40 am
Opening of door (Tati phitiba) – 3 am
‘Dhua dhui hoi chuna padiba’ – 3.30 am
Daitapati Sarbanga, Bandapana – 3.45 am
Netrotsav Bandapana – 4.00 am
Roshahoma (morning) 4.00 am
Rajaniti – 4.15 am
Jatranga Mahasnana – 4.45 am
Mailam – 4.50 am
Ghanta Chhata Sarbanga – 5.10 am
Worship of Sun God (Surya Puja) – 5.10 am
Dwarapala puja – 5.25 am
End of besha (Besha sesha) – 5.45 am
Gopala Ballava & Ghanta Chhata Sakala Dhupa – 6 am to 7 am
Senapata lagi – 7.30 am to 12.30 pm
Ratha Pratisha – 11.00 am
Mangalarpana – 1.00 pm
Beginning of Pahandi – 1.10 pm
Ending of Pahandi – 2.30 pm
Sri Madanmohan, Sri Ram, Sri Krushna Bije – 3.00 pm
Chhera panhara – 4.00 pm
Charaphita & fixing of horses – 4.30 pm
Chariot pulling – 5 pm
SECURITY ARRANGEMENT
Bada Danda (Grand Road) has been divided into six security zones with one senior officer looking after the arrangements in each zone. At least 164 CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence have also been installed along Bada Danda and other parts of the town. Public announcement drones will be used while senior police officers will monitor the entire town and venue from two integrated control rooms. This apart, several units of bomb detection and disposal units, three companies of RAF, and five companies of CRPF have been deployed.
Police have also launched a WhatsApp Chatbot App to help devotees plan their routes. A QR scanner code has been released for the public which can be downloaded into any Android mobile phone. With the help of the App, one can get on-time information on traffic restrictions ahead, nearby parking places, hotels, drinking water fountains, toilets, presence of lifeguards along the beach and other such facilities.
“Today, we are celebrating the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. As we have anticipated, a large number of devotees will flock to Puri to participate in Rath Yatra. We have made extensive police arrangements. We have divided the police arrangements into several important segments. Arrangements have been made for crowd control and regulation. Special arrangements have been made for matters related to traffic and parking. The President of India will visit Puri. So special arrangements have been made keeping in mind the security of the President of India. Apart from this, many other dignitaries will visit Puri… We are in touch with several agencies and we are working closely with them. We are in coordination with the Coast Guard, Coastal Security, Railway Security…” Puri SP Pinak Mishra told ANI.
Odisha Fire and Emergency Service has deployed six motorcycles equipped with extinguishers to deal with fire mishaps. This apart, 44 fire fighting vehicles have been mobilised for the festival and 18 among these will be used to sprinkle water on devotees at Bada Danda on Sunday.
TRAFFIC GUIDELINES
Parking spaces for all inter-state and tourist buses are available at Malatipatapur Bus Stand while regular buses will go to Talabania Temporary Bus Stand via Malatipatapur ROB, Baidas Nagar Chhaka, Grid Station Chhaka, and Bhudan Chhaka.
>> All inter-state buses and buses coming from Bhubaneswar side will be parked at Malatipatpur bus stand on the outskirts of Puri. The buses will return on the same route.
>> Regular passenger buses from Bhubaneswar will reach makeshift parking lot at Talabania via Malatipatpur railway over bridge, Baidas Nagar Square, Grid Station Square and Bhoodan Square. The buses will return via Grid Station Square, Balighat, Gopalpur, Samangara, Biraharekrushnapur Bazaar and Batagaon.
>> Regular buses from Konark will reach Talabania temporary bus stand via Baidas Nagar Square, Grid Station Square and Bhoodan Square. They will also return on the same route.
>> Buses coming from Brahmagiri side will reach Talabania via Mangalaghat bypass, Malatipatpur railway overbridge, Baidas Nagar Square, Grid Station Square and Bhoodan Square. The buses will return on the same route.
>> Four-wheelers coming from Bhubaneswar side will be parked at Talabania Indoor Stadium, ITI and parking lot near Helipad via Malatipatpur railway over bridge, Baidas Nagar Square, Grid Station Square and Bhoodan Square. The vehicles will return via Grid Station Square, Balighat, Gopalpur, Samangara, Biraharekrushnapur Bazaar and Batagaon.
>> Four-wheelers coming from Brahmagiri side will be reached Yatrika Palace and Nolia field via Baidas Nagar Square, Grid Station Square and Bhoodan Square. They will return on the same route.
>> Two-wheelers coming from Bhubaneswar side will be parked at Jagannath Ballav, Jail Road and Matitota field.
>> Two-wheelers coming from Konark side will be parked at Blue Flag Beach, Hotel Neelachal Ashoka and near Hotel Holiday Resort via Grid Station Square, City Road and Subhas Bose Square.
>> The auto-rickshaws of Puri will ply between Talabania and Ram Mandir and in between Malataipatpur and Atharanala. Regular buses will ply between Subhas Bose Square and Lighthouse.
