Doli Yatra of Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, was taken out amid traditional gaiety and religious fervour here on Monday evening. After passing through its traditional routes, the procession reached the in-laws' place of Lord Jagannath at Beniram Ka Bagicha near Rathyatra on the occasion of Ashad Shukla Pratipada as per Hindu calendar. With this, the three-day Rathyatra Mela will start from Tuesday. Many locals believe that the city would get relief from heatwave as always rains welcome the Rathyatra Mela.
It is expected that the fair, started in 1802, would see its real grandeur this time. A good number of devotees thronged Lord Jagannath temple at Assi and offered prayers and ‘parval ka kada’ a day ago when after two weeks, the doors of Jagannath temple were re-opened. Lord Jagannath fell sick two weeks ago when the devotees offered jalabhishek with a huge quantity of Gangajal (sacred water of holy river Ganga) on the occasion of Jyestha Purnima. Since then the doors remained closed to help the ailing Almighty take full rest.
Rathyatra Mela is known as one of the lakha melas (in which lakhs of people turn out) of this holy city. According to the history of this fair, in 1780, Pandit Nityanand, the chief priest and manager of Jagannath temple in Puri visited this holy city and then set up a temple of Lord Jagannath near Assi. The Rathyatra Mela was started in 1802 and since then it continued without any break except a couple of years during the corona pandemic. During the festival the idols are kept on a chariot. After the Mela, the traditional Rath is kept at a room at Shahid Udyan for the last few years as earlier, it was kept near Rathyatra crossing but due to traffic jams, its site had been changed. The chariot is made of wood and kept on 14 wheels near Rathyatra crossing during the festival. The most popular dish of the fair is Nankatai, a hand-made biscuit. In view of the fair, the police have imposed several traffic restrictions during the next four days and during the period no vehicle will be allowed to pass through Rathyatra crossing.