Monalisa Patsani
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, July 18: The city of temples lived up to its reputation Saturday with a grand show of Rath Yatra celebrations held in major areas across the city.
The city’s biggest and most iconic Rath Yatra was of the Iskcon temple, where thousands turned up to escort the Trinity to their aunt’s place on their annual sojourn.
The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were escorted amidst tight security from Iskcon temple to Gundicha temple a few km away.
Thousands of devotees thronged the temple beforehand to have a glimpse of the Lord and waited patiently for hours till the idols were carried out by servitors.
The pahandi of the three deities began at 10.30 am and was over by 11 am. After the pahandi, the chherapanhara ritual was performed by senior Sanyasi Murali Krishna Maharaj at around 2.30 pm. The pulling of the three chariots by devotees started at 3.30 pm. The chariot of Goddess Subhadra was pulled by lady devotees as is the tradition at Iskcon.
Devotees singing bhajans and kirtans accompanied the chariots of the three deities as they moved from Iskcon temple towards Gundicha temple near DAV school in UNIT VIII.
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, MLA Bijay Kumar Mohanty also visited the ISKCON temple to have a glimpse of the three deities.
The Rath Yatra at Regional College of Management (RCM) was a spectacle of sorts, with thousands of students and faculty members along with locals pulling the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. The RCM Jagannath Temple is the second tallest Jagannath temple in the country after Puri Srimandir, hence the Rath Yatra celebrations here are always a special affair.
The chariots made their way from the campus and made their way to the Kali temple near NALCO Square. Thousands of devotees participated in the mega event. RCM has been celebrating Rath Yatra every year since 2006.
Many tribal artists participated in the event and performed traditional tribal dance in the procession while different Kirtan troupes too performed.
Ravi Singh, a third-year student of the department of tourism, said, “This is my third Rath Yatra and I feel blessed to be a part of this massive ceremony. Pulling the chariot of the Lord gave me immense satisfaction. I love the tradition of only women devotees pulling the chariot of Goddess Subhadra. Some of my classmates who are non-Hindus also actively participated in the ceremony.”
The Rath Yatra of Utkal University drew equally large crowds. Hundreds of students gathered outside the temple and waited for hours to pull the chariots. At 3.30 pm, the Nandighosh chariot rolled forward and covered a distance of around 1 km in the campus.
The enthusiasm of the children was a sight to watch in Jambeswar Patna Sahi, where the chariots of the deities are pulled only by kids. The Rath Yatra of Jambeswar temple has attained cult status over the years thanks to this unique tradition, and draws many onlookers. After the ceremonial pahandi of the idols of the three deities by the priest of the temple, the children rolled up their sleeves to pull the chariots, shouting chants of Hari Bol and Jay Jagannath at the top of their voices.
Residents of OUAT colony participated in the Rath Yatra of the oldest Jagannath temple in OUAT, which is being celebrated since 1972. The electricity department had requested for a decrease in the height of the 32-ft tall Nandighosh chariot fearing overhead power cables would be damaged. However, the yatra passed off without incident.
Similarly, Rath Yatras were celebrated in other places in the city such as KIIT Campus, VSS Nagar and other parts of Sahid Nagar and Nalco Colony among others.
