Puri: The pulling of the three majestic chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will resume at 9:30 am on Friday after being halted the previous evening due to fading light and safety reasons.
The chariots — Nandighosha, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalana — remained stationed overnight on Puri’s Grand Road (Bada Danda) with the three deities seated on them. Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja chariot is positioned at Fire Station Square, Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalana chariot at Marchikote Square, while Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot stands near the Lion’s Gate (Singhadwara) of the Jagannath Temple.
According to officials, all necessary rituals on the chariots will be completed before the pulling resumes. The administration is hopeful of bringing all three chariots to the Sharadhabali area near Gundicha Temple by evening.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee informed that the chariot procession will begin at 9:30 am on Friday. He added that while the deities are expected to reach Gundicha Temple by evening, the Adapa Bije ritual will not be performed on Friday and has been rescheduled for Saturday.
The grand procession was stopped on Thursday evening following advice from the Bhoi Sardar, primarily due to safety concerns for the large number of devotees on the road after sunset. Despite intermittent rainfall on Thursday, an estimated 8 to 9 lakh devotees had gathered in Puri to witness the sacred event.
