Raipur: The wheel of Lord Jagannath’s chariot ‘Nandighosh’, pulled by devotees during Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri last year, was accorded a grand welcome in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Sunday.
Hundreds of devotees gathered at the Jagannath Temple in Gayatri Nagar of the city to receive the wheel. A special puja for Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was performed before the wheel was mounted on a decked-up chariot. Later, the chariot carrying the wheel went on a tour around the city.
Raipur North MLA Purandar Mishra, who performed the puja, said this is for the first time that the wheel of Lord’s Nandighosh chariot has come to Raipur. Mishra is the only MLA from Odisha who was elected in recently concluded Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh.
Dipped in a festival-like mood, the devotees offered prayers to sibling deities. They sang bhajans and kirtans as the chariot began its 10-day tour around the city.
The chariot will visit the Ram Temple, Governor House, chief minister’s residence and jail during the first phase of its yatra till February 21. In the second phase of its yatra, the wheel will go to Mahasamund in Chhattisgarh and Raj Khariar Road, Kumna and Bargarh in Odisha.
Devotees, who throng Puri in Odisha during the annual Rath Yatra to have a glimpse of the Lords on the chariots, consider it auspicious to touch the wheels. “As all devotees cannot get a chance to touch the wheel because of heavy rush, ‘Chaka Bhramana Karyakram’ has been launched to carry it to people at different places,” the MLA said.
“Lakhs of Jagannath devotees in Odisha and Chhattisgarh will get an opportunity to touch the wheel of the Nandighosha Rath,” he added.
