Puri: Amid chanting of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Haribol’, lakhs of devotees Saturday evening witnessed a ritual in which the sibling Deities enter the Gundicha temple as part of the Rath Yatra festival in this rain-affected pilgrim town of Odisha.
The ceremonial “Pahandi” or the procession of deities began at about 8.30 pm after completion of customs like “Puspanjali” (offering of flowers) at the chariots which reached from the 12th-century shrine to Gundicha temple, the birthplace of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra, Friday afternoon.
The idols stayed on the carriages overnight according to tradition.
The procession is a part of the “Adapa Mandap Bije” ritual during which the idols are carried from the chariots to the sanctum sanctorum of the Gundicha temple, and it is likely to continue for a few hours, an official of temple administration said.
Lord Balabhadra was first to be taken inside, and then Devi Subhadra. Lord Jagannath would be carried there last.
The deities will remain at their birthplace for seven days, and then return to their main abode – the Jagannath Temple, 2.6 km away, in a festival called “Bahuda Yatra” (return car festival) July 24.
According to mythology, Gundicha Temple is the place where the wooden idols of the sibling deities were constructed by Lord Viswakarma. The temple is named after Queen Gundicha, the wife of king Indradumnya, who constructed the Puri temple and installed the sibling deities in Puri.
Meanwhile, officials said there was huge influx of devotees to the holy town to witness the deities on chariots and the “Adapa Mandap Bije.” This ritual marks a culmination of the first phase of the Rath Yatra in Puri.
The chariots of the three deities reached their destination of Shree Gundicha Temple here Friday afternoon, a day after Rath Yatra, and the idols stayed on the carriages overnight as is the tradition.
Ahead of the “Adapa Mandap Bije” rituals, all roads leading to Puri were full of vehicles, said Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur.
He said despite intermittent heavy rainfall over the past two days, lakhs of devotees converged on “Saradha Bali” (The sand patch in front of Shree Gundicha Temple).
To properly manage the massive influx of people, the Odisha Police have enforced a strict one-way darshan system to streamline the flow of pilgrims and prevent any untoward incidents.
Three people were killed and several others were injured in a stampede near the Gundicha temple last year.
Odisha DGP Y B Khurania has urged the devotees not to bring children, elderly persons and ill people to Rath Yatra as the crowd swells every hour during the festival.
Two persons died and five others fell ill in a temporary crowd surge and in uncomfortable weather conditions during the Rath Yatra celebrations Thursday.
Meanwhile, the local administration has deployed high-capacity pumps to drain out the water in the pilgrm town after it received 86.6 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am Saturday.
Additional Director General of Police Soumendra Priyadarshi, who is in charge of the Rath Yatra festival, said police are on high alert since Friday night.
“We have been issuing alerts on the traffic situation through media and social media so that people can plan their journey to Puri from Bhubaneswar,” he said.
The India Meteorological Department forecast moderate rain with one or two intense spells in Puri Saturday.
