The Gundicha Yatra of lord Baladevjew at Tulashi Kshetra in Kendrapada district passed off peacefully amid much joy and devotion here on Sunday.
More than 10,000 devotees from Kendrapada and its adjoining districts participated in the festival amid chanting of Haribola and hulahuli, the two devotional recites.
After completion of Manglarati, Aabakash and Sakaladhupa rituals of the deities, lord Balabhadra, younger brother, lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra, the pahandi bije to the 65-foot-high chariot from the sanctum sanctorum started after 3 pm. Sarathi Sudyumna and Madanamohana also accompanied the deities to the chariot called the Brahma Taladhwaja chariot.
A total of 14 wheels are fixed to Brahma Taladhwaja, which built of 1,214 pieces of log. After the deities boarded the chariot, the Raj Purohit conducted Chhera Pahara (sweeping activities) and then devotees pulled the Rath on the Badadanda.
The Brahma Taladhwaja chariot stopped near the temple Endowment office as per the rituals. The chariot will be pulled to the Mausima Temple on Monday.
According to locals, the Ratha yatra is being observed in the Tulashi Khetra for the last 300 years. The lord Baladevjew Temple was constructed in 1670 by the king of Kujanga.
Tight security was beefed up in order to ensure incident-free Shree Gundicha Yatra. District Collector Pramod Kumar Das and Kendrapara SP Rabi Narayan Behera along with senior officials directly monitored the yatra.
A total of six platoons of police were deployed at the Badadanda apart from two DSPs, one ASP, five police Inspectors,10 Sub-Inspector and ASI and 80 constables. The yatra passed off peacefully expecting a person, who sustained injury on his leg at Ratha Danda as the vehicle of the Fire tender hit him.
