Puri: The annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings is underway in Puri. Darpadalana, the chariot of Devi Subhadra, started rolling on Bada Danda amidst chant of hymns, blowing of conchs and beating of gongs and cymbals at 1:04pm.
Lord Balabhadra’s chariot Taladhwaja was first to be pulled from Srimandir entrance. Taladhwaja began its journey towards Gundicha temple at 12:05pm.
This year, each chariot is being pulled by not more than 500 persons, including policemen and servitors.
Following the top court’s order, the Odisha government imposed a complete shutdown in Puri district from 9.00pm Monday till 2.00pm Wednesday to hold the Rath Yatra without devotees by adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier asserted that the government and the temple administration are fully prepared to hold the Rath Yatra Tuesday and had made an appeal to strike a balance between rituals and public health via a video message.