Every house in the city is full of guests as the Panchakosis (people living in a radial distance of 30 km) have started flocking into the city to participate in the Bahuda Yatra of the Trinity on Monday.
As a matter of practice, while the devotees from outside the State and country participate in the opening day of the fete and pull the chariots to the Gundicha Temple, the panchakosis pull back the chariots to the main abode of the deities.
Meanwhile, for the BahudaYatra or return Car festival, three Raths were given a south turn (Dakshin Moda) and veered to the Saradhabali earlier and parked in front of the Nakachana Dwar (exit gate) of the Gundicha Temple.
As per a Shree Jagannath Temple release, for the return Car festival on Monday, the deities would be escorted out in Goti Pahandi (one by one) from the sanctum sanctorum of the Gundicha Temple after observance of Mangala Aarati, Mailum, Tadap laagi, Rosa Homa, Abakash and Surya Puja. Then the deities would be offered Gopal Bhog and dressed in journey attires. Earlier on Sunday night, the Daita servitors had fashioned Chhenapatta (body armours) to the Trinity to bear the stress of Pahandi.
The Pahandi would begin by 11 am and be completed by 1.30 pm. The Chherapahanra by Gajapati King Dibyasingh Dev would be performed between 2 pm and 3 pm. The chariots would be pulled one after another with Taladhwaj of lord Balabhadra by 3.30 pm first. Elaborate security arrangements were put in place. District Magistrate Arabind Agarwal, SP Sarthak Sarangi and SJTA Chief Administrator PK Jena had appraised the top Government officials regarding preparations for the Bahuda, the Sunavesha and the Niladri Bije rituals of the deities.
Meanwhile, over three lakh devotees, mostly locals and from nearby districts, took Mahaprasad on the auspicious occasion of the Sandhya Darshan and witnessed the deities on the pedestal of the Gundicha Temple on the Sunday. The Gundicha Temple kitchen was busy as cooks and their support staff members were preparing huge quantity of cooked food offered to the deities as the Mahaprasad. The price of the Mahaprasad was increased so high that it remained out of the reach of many poor devotees.
The temple administration in a departure from convention had shortened the Sandhya Darshan time by four hours and announced to close it by 7 pm on Sunday.