Jagannath chariots reach Puri’s Gundicha temple

The chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings deities reached their destination of Shree Gundicha Temple here on Friday afternoon, a day after the Rath Yatra.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration’s (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said that according to tradition, the idols will remain on their chariots for the night and be carried into the Shree Gundicha Temple, considered the birthplace of the sibling deities, on Saturday evening. The return car festival, called Bahuda Yatra, will be held on July 24.

The three chariots could not reach the Shree Gundicha Temple, around 2.6 kilometres from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, on Thursday due to a delay in the ritual of moving the idols from the sanctum sanctorum to the carriages.

As per tradition, the chariots cannot be pulled after sundown. Though the carriages were scheduled to reach Shree Gundicha temple by Thursday evening, the chariot pulling was suspended around 7 pm due to fading light and it resumed on Friday morning, an official said.

Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja chariot, which began moving at 5.10 pm on Thursday against its scheduled time of 4 pm, stopped at Market Chhak after covering around 700 metres on the Grand Road.

Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalana chariot halted at Marichikote Chhak after covering around 400 metres, while Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot was pulled only for a few yards and remained near the main gate of the 12th-century shrine.

Shree Gundicha Temple is considered the birthplace of the sibling deities.

The idols were kept on their chariots on Thursday night, and lakhs of devotees jostled to catch a glimpse of the deities amid tight security. “There was no closure of ‘darsan’ all night,” Padhee said.

In a video message, Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, who is also the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC), said, “There is nothing wrong in chariot pulling continuing the day after the scheduled Rath Yatra.”

“Many a time, chariots cannot reach their destination on time, and they are pulled the next day. The chariot pulling was halted on Thursday due to sundown,” he said.

Thousands of devotees spent Thursday night in the holy town braving inclement weather and began pulling the chariots with renewed vigour on Friday morning, chanting ‘Jai Jagannath ‘ and ‘Hari bol ‘.

On Friday, the chariot pulling started with the carriage of Lord Balabhadra around 9.45 am.

Lord Balabhadra’s chariot was first to reach the destination, followed by Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalana and finally Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosh, which reached ‘Saradhabali’ -- a sand patch in front of Shree Gundicha Temple -- ending the first phase of the nine-day festival.

The Rath Yatra this year witnessed an unusual scene when Lord Jagannath appeared in public without his ornate floral crown called ‘Tahia’. “It was removed as it got wet and heavy due to rains,” said Padhee.

Two persons died and five fell ill during a temporary crowd surge and uncomfortable weather conditions during the Rath Yatra celebrations on Thursday.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed grief over the deaths, though the state Government refused to term the crowd surge “stampede”.

“Due to the heavy crowd on the occasion of Rath Yatra, an elderly devotee died. In a separate incident, the news of the demise of a devotee due to a heart attack has been received. The chief minister has expressed profound grief, conveyed deep condolences to the bereaved families, and prayed for the peace of the departed souls,” the CMO said in a X post.

ADG Soumendra Priyadarshi said that the multi-layer security arrangements, with the deployment of 19 IPS officers and nearly 13,000 police personnel, for the chariot festival in Puri were well in place.

This apart, 15 companies of Central Armed Police Forces, including the CRPF, BSF, RAF and National Security Guard, have also been stationed at strategic locations.

As many as 473 AI-enabled CCTV cameras, integrated with drone-jamming systems, are monitoring the Grand Road and adjoining areas, officials said.

A joint patrolling system involving the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Odisha Police Maritime Station has also been set up, and quick response teams have been deployed. PTI