Bhubaneswar: The sacred Rukuna Rath of Lord Lingaraj encountered yet another unfortunate incident on Thursday during the annual Ashokastami chariot festival, as the massive 35-foot-high chariot veered off its designated track and got stuck against a building.
Fire services personnel, along with devotees and servitors, worked tirelessly for hours to maneuver the heavy wooden chariot back onto the main road. The pulling of the chariot was halted for a considerable time due to the mishap. After prolonged efforts, the rath was successfully brought back to the track, and the procession resumed. The chariot finally reached the Mausi Maa temple around 7:15 PM, marking the conclusion of the day’s pulling.
This marked the second consecutive day of disruption for the revered procession. On Wednesday, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm and strong winds forced a halt in the pulling. The chariot procession resumed on Thursday around 2:00 PM amid challenging weather conditions, including intermittent heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds.
Thousands of enthusiastic devotees gathered at the Lingaraj temple in Old Town to participate in pulling the grand chariot.
As per tradition, the deities — Lord Chandrasekhar (the presiding deity of Lingaraj temple), along with Rukmini and Basudev — travel to the Rameswar temple and return after four days of rest. This unique festival, also known as Rukuna Rath Yatra or Analeuta Jatra, has been observed for centuries in Bhubaneswar.Rituals for the occasion began early in the morning with ‘mangala alati’ at around 5 AM.
However, the actual pulling of the chariot was delayed by about 30 minutes and commenced around 3:30 PM. The procession faced an initial pause at Badheibanka Chhaka for around 45 minutes before resuming. Pulling had to be stopped near Tinimundia Chhaka as sunset approached. Servitors indicated that the chariot would continue its journey towards the Rameswar temple starting at 2 PM on Friday.
