Puri: The chariot pulling of the Holy Trinity in Puri was halted for the day, with Lord Balabhadra’s chariot ‘Taladhwaja’ halting at Marchikote square, Devi Subhadra’s chariot ‘Darpadalana’ stopping near Srikrishna Cinema Hall, and Lord Jagannath’s chariot ‘Nandighosa’ halting at some distance from Singhadwar.
Chariot pulling will resume tomorrow, a temple administration official said.
The chariot pulling started around 5:20pm after Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati visited the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra with his disciples, and Puri’s titular king completed the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (chariot sweeping) ritual.
According to a source, a male devotee died of suffocation during the pulling of Taladhwaja chariot. He was declared dead by the doctors at Puri District Headquarters Hospital.
The source further stated that a stampede-like situation was reported at Bada Danda near Hindi School Square, in which multiple devotees were reportedly injured and admitted to a nearby hospital.
PNN
