Puri: Curtains are down for the annual Rath Yatra of Srimandir deities with the placing idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra inside the sanctum sanctorum as part of Niladri Bije ritual Thursday.
Servitors carried the idols from their respective chariots to the sanctum sanctorum in ceremonial processions (Pahandi).
The Pahanadi started at 5pm, at least one and half hour ahead of the original schedule. Bada Oriya mutt pontiff Banshidhar Das Goswami sanctified Srimandir sanctum sanctorum before the Pahandi procession began. He also placed an appliqué (chandua) over the Ratna Singhasan.
Initially, servitors carried Lord Sudarshan to Srimandir at 5.10pm amid beating of cymbals and blowing of horns. The Pahandi procession of Lord Balabhadra started at 5.45 pm.
After installing Lord Balabhadra’s idol at the sanctum sanctorum, servitors carried Devi Subhadra to the shrine around 7 pm.
The Pahandi procession of Lord Jagannath started at 7.55 pm. Srimandir sources said all the idols were installed at the sanctum sanctorum by 9 pm.
Hundreds of devotees gathered at the Lions’ Gate of Srimandir to witness the last ritual of the Car Festival.
Meanwhile, it has been alleged that police inspector Amulya Kumar Dhar touched the idol of Devi Subhdra during the Pahandi procession by flouting the guidelines laid by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration.
“We will examine the CCTV footage to verify the allegation. Stern action will be taken against the police inspector if found guilty,” said SJTA chief administrator Pradeep Kumar Jena.
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