Bhubaneswar: The annual Rath Yatra at Shrivani Kshetra, KISS was celebrated Thursday with religious fervour, drawing more than 40,000 devotees. The day began with rituals, including ‘Mangala Aarati’, ‘Mailama’, ‘Tadapalagi’, ‘Rosha Homa’, ‘Abakasha’ and ‘Surya Puja’, followed by the ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ of the deities on the chariots. KISS founder Achyuta Samanta performed the traditional Chhera Pahanra ritual.
Thousands of devotees pulled the decorated chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to the newly built Gundicha Temple near KIIT-Sikharchandi Road. The route, known as ‘Ratha Danda’, was filled with devotees, traditional musical performances, religious recitals and chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’. A distinctive feature of the Shrivani Kshetra Rath Yatra is that only women devotees pull Devi Subhadra’s chariot. Organisers said favourable weather contributed to the large turnout. According to the temple trust, all rituals are conducted in keeping with the traditions of the Puri Srimandir.
Specialised artisans, including bindhani, maharana and chitraka ra craftsmen, were engaged to build and decorate the chariots, the trust informed. The trust said all temple and Rath Yatra ceremonies, from construction to daily rituals and worship, are carried out under the guidance of Puri Gajapati Maharaja. The nine-day festival will feature evening ‘Bhajan Samaroh’ near the Gundicha Temple, where devotees from nearby areas are expected to gather for darshan of the deities.
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