Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra begins in Puri without devotees

June 23: In a good news for millions of devotees of Lord Jagannath, the Supreme Court on Monday granted permission to hold the historic historic Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri. There are some conditions of Rath Yatra including no attendance by general public. The apex court also directed the state government to impose curfew during the time of procession in the coastal town Puri where the annual Lord Jagannnath Rath Yatra is held.

Following the directions of the Supreme Court, the annual lord Jagannath Yatra in Puri has started on Tuesday. Idols of Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra are moved out of Jagannath temple and were seated on chariots. The chariots are moved by ‘sevayats’ on the ‘Bada Danda’ road in Puri towards the Gundicha Temple.

Around 1,500 priests of the 12th century temple milled around the three colourfully-decorated wooden chariots. The priests who pulled the chariots, – Nandighosh, Taladwaja and Darpadalana – were tested for Covid-19 on Monday. The King of Puri Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb sweeps the chariots with a broom having a gold handle, as part of the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual, during the RathYatra at Puri’s Jagannath Temple.

Over 50 platoons of police force (one platoon has 30 personnel) have been deployed and CCTVs installed at various locations as part of the security arrangement for the nine-day festival, officials said, adding, all entry points to Puri were sealed.

In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning greeted the devotees, saying: “My heartiest greetings to all of you on the auspicious occasion of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra. I wish that this journey filled with devotion brings happiness, prosperity, good luck and health to the lives of the countrymen. Jai Jagannath!”