Baripada: The first day of the holy Ghosha Yatra was completed with great enthusiasm in Baripada, known as the second Srikhetra, on Thursday.
The charamala was opened at 2:30 pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and the ‘Taladhwaj’ chariot of Lord Balabhadra began pulling on time. The Bada Danda resonated with chants of ‘Haribol’ and ‘Hulahuli’ as thousands of devotees joined the pulling.
State Cabinet Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, MP Nabacharan Majhi, Maharaja Praveen Chandra Bhanja Deo and Maharani Rashmi Rajya Lakshmi Bhanja Deo, along with senior administrative officers, were present and pulled the chariot along with devotees.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Mohapatra said everything is possible only by the grace of Lord Jagannath and with favorable weather, this Yatra will be auspicious for the entire world.
Maharani Rashmi Rajyalakshmi Bhanj Deo described Baripada’s traditional Devi Subhadra’s chariot, started in 1975, as a unique symbol of women’s power and equality. The main attraction of the day was the chariot of Maa Subhadra, which was pulled by the women only.
Despite sudden heavy rain at 4:30 pm, hundreds of women devotees pulled Devi Subhadra’s chariot with great zeal. After the chariot reached in front of the Town Police Station, the chariot pulling for today was completed as scheduled.
Many devotees from Puri, Keonjhar and the neighboring state of Jharkhand were seen joining the spiritual atmosphere. The chariot pulling will continue in the coming days.
