Lakhs of Devotees Flock to Celebrate Lord Jagannath's Grand Chariot Festival

The grand annual Rath Yatra, also known as the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, commenced in the seaside pilgrim town of Puri today, marking the first two-day celebration in 53 years. The celestial arrangements for this extended festival were last seen in 1971.

The famous yatra began with the triad—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra—ascending their respective chariots in a grand ceremonial procession amid chants of "Jai Jagannath." The event started with the Phandi ritual, where the deities are brought from the temple to their chariots. Lakhs of devotees thronged Puri to witness and participate in the pulling of the chariots 'Nandighosh,' 'Taladhwaja,' and 'Darpadalan.'

After the Phandi ritual, Puri Gajapati Maharaj DibyaSingh Deb offered prayers and conducted the ceremonial sweeping of the chariots with a golden broom. The chariots were then pulled by devotees to the Gundicha temple, located around 3 km from the main temple.

Special arrangements were made for President Droupadi Murmu, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who all witnessed the sacred festival. The Odisha Police have implemented elaborate security and traffic arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the Rath Yatra for the massive influx of devotees.