Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities was celebrated with gaiety amid religious fervour on the premises of Brighter Riders School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The ‘Emirates Odia Rath Yatra’ organised the festival in which Odia diaspora and Jagannath devotees from seven emirates participated in the mega religious extravaganza.
As per the tradition, Surya Puja ritual was conducted at 7 AM followed by other rituals. The air reverberated with the chants of Jai Jagannath and Sankerttan.
After the offering of Balya Bhoga, the Pahandi Bije of the deities was performed at 10.30 AM and the deities were placed in the chariot at 11.30 AM. Over 100 families residing in different parts of the UAE prepared the ‘Chhapana Bhoga, the favourite dishes of the Holy Trinity, which were offered to the deities at 12 noon.
Small children performed Devadasi dance in traditional attire in front of the chariot followed by a recital of 108 Mahamantra. Hundfeds of devotees pulled the chariot amid the chants of Haribol, Hulahul and Jai Jaganath at 12.30 PM. Mahaprasad was distributed among the devotees at 1 PM.
Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India to Dubai, attended the Rath Yatra and pulled a chariot amidst a crowd of devotees.
