The Jagannath Rath Yatra was celebrated with pomp and show in Jagatsinghpur district on Friday after a gap of two years due to Covid The Rath Yatra is popular in six major places in the district, Sidhal, Dhyanakuda, Garei, Sarabanta, Gadakujanga and Paradip, where there are Jagannath temples. The customary sweeping of chariots was performed by eminent personalities.
Additional District Magistrate Satchidananda Sahoo attended the Sidhal festival and performed the sweeping ritual on Friday afternoon after which the chariot was pulled. Reports said that nearly 20,000 devotees from surrounding villages witnessed the festival.
Rath Yatra was also celebrated in Dhyanakuda Jagannath temple in Biridi block, where the chariot pulling was started after 4 pm. Pramoda Nandi, the local designated king, performed the sweeping ceremony, and Baba Arakhita Das coordinated. Thousands of devotees thronged the venue on the occasion.
The festival at Garei in Naugaon block also witnessed about 50,000 devotees. Gyana Ranjan Biswal , the Thakur Raja of the temple, performed the sweeping of chariots. The pulling of the chariots started after 5 pm.
In the coastal Erasama block, Rath Yatra was celebrated in Sarabanta Jagannath temple in Gadaharishpur Panchayat, with a huge crowd from surrounding villages having congregated to participate the annual extravaganza.
Rath Yatra was also celebrated in a big way in Paradip. PPA Chairman P L Harnad performed the sweeping ritual of the chariot.
The most glittering Rath Yatra was observed at Kunjabihari temple in Gadakujanga, where the chariot was pulled after a day. On the day of the annual Rath Yatra, all rituals were performed and the deities took a rest in the chariot till the next day. The sweeping in the chariot was performed by Paradip MLA Sambit Routray.