Defying torrential rains, over four lakh devotees participated in the Bahuda yatra (return car festival) on Sunday. It was raining since Saturday evening till 3 pm on Sunday.
A large number of devotees waited for hours in the rains in front of the Nakachana Dwar (exit gate of the Gundicha temple) to witness the Pahandi procession of the deities.
The religious ecstasy reached its zenith when lord Jagannath came out of the gate swinging his giant tiara taking huge gallops in the midst of musicians playing ghantas, cymbals, drums, conch and trumpets.
The Odishi dancers were leading the Pahandi procession dancing to the tune of the music concert, while Gotipuas and Banati players dedicated their skill to the lord.
On Sunday morning, the Daita servitors, after offering Gopal Bhog Khichidi to the deities in the sanctum sanctorum of the Gundicha temple, escorted them to their respective chariots in Dhadi Pahandi (all the deities were escorted in a line to their Raths).
All the Nitees of the deities were performed on time. The Pahandi began with Sudarshan's at about 10.40 am, followed by Balabhadra's, Subhadra's, Ramakrushna's and Madan Mohan's. The Pahandi was completed before 3 pm. The Gajapati King Dibyasingha Deb performed Chhera Pahanra atop the three Raths which was completed by 3.30 pm.
The first chariot Taladhwaj of Balabhadra rolled out at about 4 pm and Darpadalan of Devi Subhadra at 4.45. At 5.15 pm, it was Nandighosh's turn. The Taladhwaja and Darpadalan Raths reached the lion's Gate (Simhadwar) at about 6.30 pm, while the Nandighosh was trailing with a fractured wheel and its brake going awry. The carpenters and blacksmiths were working on a war footing to repair the chariot so that it could be parked near the palace of the Gajapati King along the Badadanda, 100 metres away from the Simhadwar for observance of laxmi Narayan Veta ritual. On Monday, the famous Sunavesha of the deities would be observed on the three Raths.