Three majestic chariots carrying idols of Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra rolled down the Grand Road of the coastal town of Puri amid lakhs of devotees marking the celebration of the annual car festival on Sunday.
The day, however, ended on a tragic note. At least three devotees died, including one at Puri, during pulling of chariots in different places in the State. Sudhakar Swain from Jagatsinghpur fainted in a stampede-like situation near the temple. He was declared dead in the Puri City Hospital. The State police, however, said he died of heart attack.
Devotees occupied every conceivable space along the 3-km-long Grand Road to have a glimpse of the deities on the chariots. According to an estimate, more than 10 lakh devotees from all corners of the country and outside congregated in the tiny town.
Police personnel supported by devotees towed the chariots from the 12th Century Shri Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple where the three deities will be worshiped for nine days.
From early in the morning, a few hundred priests performed a series of intricate rituals to prepare the deities for the procession. Hordes of servitors surrounded by police personnel carried the huge wooden idols from the temple swaying them rhythmically in a ritual described as ‘pahandi.'
As soon as the idols were seen outside the temple, chanting of ‘Haribol' and ‘Jai Jagannath' by devotees reverberated through the whole area. The deities were installed in the chariots while devotees jostled to get a clear view. Some were seen crying in the charged-up atmosphere while several dropped to the ground as a mark of their devotion.
The chariots began moving after Gajapati Divyasingha Deb, who is regarded as Puri's designated King, swept the wooden floors. By 6.30 p.m., all chariots reached the destination.
Tight security
About 100 platoons of police were deployed to prevent any untoward incident. Closed circuit cameras were installed to keep a tab on devotees while a striking force was kept ready for emergency situations. Personnel of State Police and Rapid Action Force toiled throughout the day to control the sea of pilgrims. Orissa Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his Cabinet colleague were present in Puri on the occasion.
Peaceful in Gujarat
Manas Dasgupta reports from Ahmedabad:
The 134th rath yatra of Lord Jagannath passed off peacefully in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat on Sunday amid tight security arrangements.
In Ahmedabad, where the yatra began from the 400-year-old Jagannath temple in Jamalpur locality in the heart of the city, the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra returned to the temple late in the evening after covering the traditional 14-km route through the old city areas, including several communally sensitive localities.
Muslims greet devotees
The yatra also demonstrated communal harmony as at many minority-dominated localities Muslim leaders welcomed the procession and shared pleasantries with the devotees accompanying the chariots.
In Shahpur, the local Muslims released a few white pigeons as a symbol of peace and communal harmony.
The yatra began early in the morning after the traditional “mangal aarti” and the symbolic “road cleaning” with a “golden broom” by Chief Minister Narendra Modi for whom it was the 10th consecutive occasion to perform the traditional chore.
He hoped that Lord Jagannath would bless Gujarat with rains since most parts of the State, including Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, have not experienced even the first showers of the current monsoon so far causing great concern to the farming community.
Videographed
Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure a peaceful yatra. Over 15,000 policemen, including 36 IPS officers, were keeping a tight vigil while about 16 units of paramilitary forces and the Border Security Force were also roped in to maintain security.
The yatra was also continuously video-graphed from 65 different locations on the route to deter possible mischief-mongers.
The yatra was also taken out in 110 other cities and towns in the State and the reports received here said the day passed off peacefully everywhere.
