Rath Yatra: Devotees resume pulling chariots in Puri

Puri: Amid renewed enthusiasm, devotees on Saturday resumed pulling the chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath, after the Rath Yatra in Puri was halted on June 27 night.

The chariots were scheduled to reach Gundicha temple, considered the aunt's place of the deities, by the evening of Friday. But they had to be stopped on Grand Road as Lord Balabhadra’s Taladwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, preventing the other two from advancing.

The chariots with deities inside were kept on the road overnight amid tight security.

Amid chanting of ‘Jai Jagannath’, the chariot pulling began again around 10 am on Saturday, after conducting the morning rituals.

Thousands of devotees who spent the night in the holy town, joined in large numbers in chariot pulling amid sounds of gongs and conches.

The chariots are now advancing towards the Gundicha temple, around 2.6 km away from the 12th-century Jagannath temple.

Officials said that over 600 devotees were treated at different hospitals in Puri after becoming ill during the Rath Yatra on Saturday.

While many of them were injured due to jostling, more than 200 people fainted in the hot and humid weather conditions.

An estimated one million devotees reached Puri for the annual Rath Yatra, officials said adding that the weather was favourable on Saturday even though there was light rain.

It is believed that mere touch of the chariot would confer the compassion of Lord Jagannath on devotees.

The annual Rath Yatra is being held amid unprecedented security arrangements with the deployment of around 10,000 personnel of Odisha Police, the central armed police force, NSG and others.

The police have made all arrangements for the smooth conduct of Rath Yatra, DGP Y B Khurania had said adding that over 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras were installed to keep a watch on the crowd.