Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Thousands of devotees have gathered in Puri, Odisha to participate in the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival that begins today at the iconic 12th century temple of Lord Jagannath.
“The biggest festival of God is the Rath Yatra which takes place every year. For the last 2 years the participation of devotees was barred due to the pandemic, but this year has been allowed. Huge public participation is expected today,” said Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb, present Namdhari Gajapati Maharaja and Raja of Puri were quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
The annual Rath Yatra of the holy trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath – is taking place with full public participation after a gap of two years due to the pandemic. It will conclude next week on July 9. Tight security arrangements have been made for the mega event.
“We expect a huge crowd of around 10 lakh on the Rath Yatra as people are allowed to participate in the festivities after a gap of two years,” news agency PTI quoted development commissioner PK Jena as saying.
Meanwhile, sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik made 125 sand chariots to mark the Rath Yatra festival that begins today.
“This time we have made 125 sand chariots to mark the holy Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. This will be our new world record,” Patnaik said.
Earlier, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav along with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inspected the preparations for Jagannath Rath Yatra at Puri railway station last night.
The Rath Yatra or ‘Rath Festival’ is believed to be as old as the iconic temple. It is also said to be a rare festival as the deities are taken out of the temple premises. Also the idols have been carved out of wood and not metal. The deity set out for the yatra accompanied by the divine wheel – the Sudarshan Chakra, which is removed from the temple during a ceremonial procession.
On his way back to the temple after more than a week, the deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Mandir (aunt’s abode). Here, they have the offerings of poda pitha, which is said to be a special type of pancake.
Although many think that it is a nine-day festival – the Holy Trinity’s onward journey to the temple of its maternal aunt, Goddess Gundicha Devi, ends with a return journey after eight days. In fact the festival begins on the day of Akhaya Tritiya (in April) and ends with the return journey of the Holy Trinity to the Sri Mandir complex.
Over 180 platoons of armed police personnel, including 1,000 officers of various ranks, have been deployed along with dozens of CCTV cameras in and around Puri. The Indian Coast Guard has also been deployed for surveillance.