Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: The Pahandi rituals for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Odisha`s Puri on Friday. Devotees have been allowed to participate in the Jagannath Rath Yatra this year after a two-year Covid-19 induced halt. Odisha Police has made top-notch security arrangements keeping the expected crowd at the festival in mind. In Jagannath Yatra, the three Raths of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra are pulled by devotees after due rituals and put stationed in front of the Singha Dwara of the Shreemandira. This ritual was held on Thursday itself. The three chariots are built a new, every year ahead of the annual chariot festival. Vibrant colours, enthusiastic faces, crowded shops, and cheery craftspeople are just a few of the highlights of Rath Yatra in Puri, the popular Chariot celebration held on a big scale every year outside Jagannatha Temple.
Meanwhile, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has made magnificent sand art. “On this Rath Yatra, let us pledge to “Say no to single-use plastic,” read the message. He also created 125 sand chariots to mark the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Puri beach.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday greeted people on the occasion of the ‘Rath Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath and prayed for happiness, peace and prosperity for all.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted devotees on the occasion of the ‘Rath Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath, wishing that everyone is blessed with good health and happiness.
“Greetings on the special day of Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath for his constant blessings. May we all be blessed with good health and happiness,” he tweeted.
Ritual timings
The procession activities will be completed by 12.30 noon while the titular king of Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb will perform Chhera Pahnra’ (sweeping of three chariots) between 2.30 PM to 3.30 PM. The chariot pulling will start at 4 PM.
More than 180 platoons of armed police personnel, including 1,000 officers of various ranks are deployed in and around Puri while around 50 CCTV cameras are fitted in Grand Road and other places in Puri to ensure the safe conduct of the festival.
Procession activities to conclude by 12.30 pm
The procession activities will be completed by 12.30 noon while the titular king of Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb will perform Chhera Pahnra’ (sweeping of three chariots) between 2.30 PM to 3.30 PM. The chariot pulling will start at 4 PM.
145th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins in Ahmedabad
The 145th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced on Friday morning in the city amid tight security as lakhs of devotees from across the state are flocking the route to catch a glimpse of the deity and witness the religious extravaganza, PTI reported.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed the ‘Pahind Vidhi’ – a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for the chariots using a golden broom before the start of the Rath Yatra.
Jagannath Yatra 2022: Union Min urges devotees to eliminate single-use plastic
“The Government of India has banned single-use plastic from Friday. We need an awareness campaign to turn this into a mass movement. I appeal to citizens to avoid using it for Puri Jagannath rath yatra, which uses a lot of single-use plastic,” said Union Min Dharmendra Pradhan, who reached Puri on Thursday to review Yatra preparedness.
Devotees allowed to participate in Rath Yatra after two years
The Jagannath Rath Yatra began on Friday in Puri, Odisha with much fanfare. The participation of devotees in the Rath Yatra has been allowed this time after a gap of two years following the COVID pandemic.
Jagannath Yatra begins
“Yatra has begun, lakhs of people have gathered for it. Keeping in mind the desire for devotees to worship their lord, several provisions were made for traffic, parking, crowd control & VIP movement. Almost 180 platoons of police force have been added,” Sunil Kumar Bansal, DGP Odisha told ANI.
Bureau Report
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