Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra was celebrated in a grand manner at many places here Thursday along with the world famous Rath Yatra at Puri.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) temple at Nayapalli celebrated Rath Yatra in the traditional way. Three chariots of the deities were pulled by devotees from the temple to the Mausima temple in Unit VIII.
The pulling of the chariots started at 2 pm. The devotion was so great that even rain did not affect the spirit of the devotees.
The Rath Yatra was also celebrated at Old Town, the Regional College of Management, VSS Nagar, Bhimtangi, Dumduma, Niladri Vihar and the CRPF campus.
Shrivani Khetra of KISS also celebrated the festival with great fervour. Around 50,000 devotees participated in pulling the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra which were decorated with flowers, appliqué and mural paintings.
The Pahandi and rituals like Mangala Alati, Mailama,Tadapalagi, Rosha Homa, Abakasha, Surya Puja, and inauguration of the chariots were followed by the procession of the deities from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum to the chariots in the morning as per the rituals of the Mahaprabhu Shri Jagganath Temple of Puri.
Thousands of devotees gathered to pull the three chariots in the afternoon after Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS, performed the ritual of Chherapahanra.
The special feature of the ghosayatra here is that, Devadalan, the chariot of Goddess Subhadra, is pulled only by females. The temporary stalls, food stalls and mini bazaar near the Gundicha temple created a colourful atmosphere.
During the nine-day festival there bhajan samaroh (devotional music show) will be held every evening near the Gundicha temple. Devotees from nearby localities visit Gundicha temple to have darshan of the Lords.