Puri: The annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings ended here Monday in a ritual called Niladri Bije when the deities returned to the 12th-century shrine after spending 12 days outside.
The Niladri Bije ritual marks the culmination of the annual Rath Yatra which started July 16 when Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath boarded chariots to travel to their birthplace at Shree Gundicha Temple, 2.6 kilometres from the main shrine.
The idols, which remained seated on their respective chariots since the Bahuda Yatra or the return car festival July 24, were taken inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum through a ceremonial procession one by one and placed on the sacred platform inside the shrine.
Shree Sudarshan, the wheel-shaped weapon of Lord Jagannath (the form of Lord Vishnu), was the first to be taken inside the temple, followed by Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.
Finally, the idol of Lord Jagannath was taken inside the temple amid chanting of ‘Haribol’, ‘Jai Jagannath’ and beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of trumpets.
When the ‘Pahandi’ or ceremonial procession of Shree Sudarshan, Lord Balabahdra and Devi Subhadra passed off without any hindrance, Lord Jagannath’s movement was obstructed on the way to the main temple.
According to mythology, Lord Jagannath’s consort Maha Laxmi stopped him as she was angry over her husband for not taking her on the Rath Yatra.
Finally, Lord Jagannath pacified his consort by offering her ‘Rasagola’, a sweetmeat, and a costly saree before getting entry into the shrine.
As per ritual, the conversation between Lord Jagannath and Maha Laxmi takes place through their respective servitors.
The Niladri Bije ritual ends after Lord Jagannath gets entry into the shrine with the permission of Maha Laxmi.
Over two lakh devotees assembled on the Grand Road near the Lion’s Gate of the shrine to witness the “quarrel”.
The Rath Yatra this time did not go incident-free, as at least three people died due to suffocation owing to the hot and humid climate. While two persons died on Rath Yatra Day on July 16, another man collapsed while pulling Devi Subhadra’s chariot.
Many people became ill due to the hot and humid climate and crowd surge, as over 50 lakh people from within the country and abroad visited the festival in the span of 10 days in this seaside temple town.
The Odisha police had made elaborate arrangements by deploying over 13,000 personnel for crowd management, traffic flow, security for VVIPs, sea beach and other places. Over 400 AI-enabled CCTV cameras were fitted to keep a tab on the crowd and assist police in maintaining law and order.
“The safety, convenience, and smooth darshan of every devotee is our government’s utmost priority. By the grace of Mahaprabhu and the cooperation of all, this year devotees in Shri Kshetra are experiencing the divine darshan of Mahaprabhu with peace, order, and excellent arrangements,” Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said in an X post.
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