Preparations are underway in full swing for the Jagannath Rath Yatra, scheduled to begin on June 27, with the Return Car Festival, or ‘Bahuda Jatra’, set to take place on July 5. The construction work for three gigantic chariots of the Holy Trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra – for the annual car festival in Puri is underway at the Puri Jagannath Temple.
During the festival, three deities – Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra – are drawn by devotees in three massive wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple, where they reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath temple. “The last phase of work is being done. The decoration of the Ratha is being done. Our hardwork will suceed when Mahaprabhu will be Seated in it. We do this work every year; it is a proud moment for us,” a worker working on the chariot said.
Earlier on Friday, a multi-agency mock drill was conducted at Dharamshala in front of Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri to assess preparedness and coordination for any emergency. Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Agarwal said that a multi-agency mock drill was conducted near the Shri Jagannath Temple to evaluate the readiness and coordination of security forces in handling emergencies. He further added that 11 agencies participated in the anti-terror intervention exercise.
Earlier Agarwal said, “…It was an intervention exercise to assess the preparedness of our teams for anti-terrorist intervention.” It was a multi-agency mock drill to ensure coordination among the various agencies. 11 agencies participated in this event…” On Wednesday, the sacred bathing ritual of Lord Jagannath along with his siblings – Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadhra – was held on the occasion of Snana Purnima in Puri.
The three deities were ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water. This ritual marks a significant lead-up to the grand Rath Yatra. The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is one of the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha. This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July.
The three chariots are built anew 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.
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