Bhubaneswar: The pilgrim town Puri is set for the annual Rath Yatra today as the three decked-up massive chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra stand parked in front of Srimandir Singha Dwar, ready to roll out on the Bada Danda for the 2.5 km journey to Shree Gundicha Temple.
As per the schedule set by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, servitors have begun the rituals since early morning. The ceremonial Pahandi procession to bring the deities out of the temple and seat them on the chariots will commence at 9.30 AM and is expected to conclude by 12.30 PM.
Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb will perform the traditional Chhera Pahara, the ceremonial sweeping of the chariots, between 2 PM and 3 PM. After this and the visit of Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, devotees will begin pulling the chariots at 4 PM.
Chief Administrator of SJTA Dr Krishan Kumar visited Gobardhan Mutt and invited Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati to attend the Rath Yatra. As per protocol, the seer along with six of his disciples will be allowed to go to the chariots to offer prayers and the Shankaracharya has accepted the invitation.
Thousands of devotees have already arrived in the pilgrim town and the flow of pilgrims along the Grand Road continued to increase through the day.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure a hassle-free festival. ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said 13,000 police personnel, 15 companies of central armed forces, NSG commandos and 500 lifeguards on the sea beach have been deployed. DGP YB Khurania inspected the security arrangements on Bada Danda and other sensitive points on Wednesday.
The temple town has been brought under a multi-layered security cover with personnel from state police, central forces, Indian Navy and Coast Guard, with special focus on crowd control, traffic management and emergency response.
The chariot of Lord Jagannath, popularly known as Nandighosh, is the heaviest among the three at around 280 to 300 tonnes. It stands 45.6 feet high with 16 wheels. The chariot of Lord Balabhadra, Taladhwaja, weighs around 250 tonnes, is 45 feet high and has 14 wheels. Devi Subhadra’s chariot, Darpadalan, weighs around 200 tonnes, is 44.6 feet high and has 12 wheels.
