After the nine-day-long holidaying in the Gundicha Temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with their chariots reached the Lions Gate of Shreemandir by evening on the Bahuda Yatra on Tuesday despite a heavy downpour.
After arrival all the chariots, they were kept in a closed barricade. The deities would spend three nights on chariots here till they returnto the temple on July 23. Before departure from the Gundicha temple, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb offered his traditional Chhera Pahanra rite (sweeping with golden bloom) on the three chariots. Arrival of all the chariots was important as the Suna Besha (gold attiring) of the deities falls on Wednesday. The district administration was engaged in providing logistic supports ahead of Suna Besha to ensure security of the loads of precious ornaments that the deities would wear.The siblings would be decorated in a quintal of gold and diamond ornaments apart from, jewels, gems and other precious metals. Due to the curfew in the city, no person is allowed to the Lions Gate space to view the attire. The servitors, police and administrative officials assigned duty are only allowed. Public can watch the Suna Besha live on their television from homes. Earlier, Lord Balabhadra’s chariot Taladhwaja began departing the Gundicha Temple 4 hours before the scheduled time of 4 pm and reached the Shreemandir at 3.55 pm. Other two chariots, Darpadalan and Nandighosh of Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, respectively, left the Gundicha Temple within a gap of half an hour. Lord Jagannath reached last at 6.30 pm due to a ritual near the Puri palace.
The Lakshmi-Narayana Bheta Niti (meeting of Mahalakshmi with Lord Jagannath) was conducted near the palace. Earlier deities were offered Panti Bhogs at various places, including the famous Poda Pitha near the Mausima Temple.
The servitors engaged in pulling faced difficulty as there were heavy rains. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik thanked all concerned for their cooperation for a smooth conduct of the Bahuda Yatra.