President Kovind, PM Modi, Other Leaders Greet Citizens On Occasion Of Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted everyone on the occasion of the Rath Yatra and prayed to Lord Jagannath.

President Ram Nath Kovind extended his greetings on the occasion. PM Modi also greeted everyone on the occasion of the Rath Yatra and prayed to Lord Jagannath.

New Delhi: Lakhs of devotees have thronged to pilgrim town Puri in Odisha as the annual nine-day Jagannath Rath Yatra began on Thursday. Extending his greetings on the occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind took to Twitter and wrote, "Greetings and good wishes to fellow citizens on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra. May the blessings of Lord Jagannath bring peace, happiness and prosperity to everyone's lives."

Greetings and good wishes to fellow citizens on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra. May the blessings of Lord Jagannath bring peace, happiness and prosperity to everyone's lives #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 4, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted everyone on the occasion of the Rath Yatra and prayed to Lord Jagannath. "Best wishes to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings for the good health, happiness and prosperity of everyone. Jai Jagannath," Modi tweeted.

Best wishes to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra.

We pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings for the good health, happiness and prosperity of everyone. Jai Jagannath. pic.twitter.com/l9v36YlUQ5 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2019

Vice President of India, Venkaiah Naidu, also greeted the nation saying, "I convey my heartiest greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the joyous occasion of Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is worshipped across the country."

I convey my heartiest greetings and good wishes to the people of our country on the joyous occasion of Rath Yatra. Lord Jagannath is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is worshipped across the country. #RathYatra #RathYatra2019 #RathaJatra #Odisha #Puri pic.twitter.com/mklpjoeaab

— VicePresidentOfIndia (@VPSecretariat) July 4, 2019

Meanwhile, earlier in the wee hours of Thursday, Home Minister Amit Shah participated in a 'Mangala Aarti' at the historic Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad.

श्री जगन्नाथ रथ यात्रा के पावन अवसर पर अहमदाबाद के जगन्नाथ मंदिर में मंगला आरती की और महाप्रभु का आशीर्वाद लिया। जय जगन्नाथ ???? pic.twitter.com/eXS3m1Ze3i

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 4, 2019

The holy Rath Yatra, also known as Gundicha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha and his siblings - elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra - commenced from today. Three majestic chariots, Nandighosa (Lord Jagannath), Taladwaja (Balabhadra) and Darpadalan (Subhadra), was kept ready on Wednesday in front of the 12th century shrine, which will be pulled by lakhs of devotees today. In the Rath Yatra, three chariots for the deities are constructed every year. These sacred carriers are prepared, decorated and assembled by the traditional artists. The craftsmen follow strict rules to participate as servitors in preparing the chariots, which commence on the day of Akshay Tritiya. Thousands of handcrafters work for several months and prepare everything from scratch. Starting from cutting the wood to painting it and putting different parts of Rath together, everything is done with complete authenticity. The prime attractions of the Rath Yatra of Jagannatha are the elaborate chariots. The decorative wooden idols of the three deities are pulled and accompanied by chants and conches, which can be heard all around. Meanwhile, in the wake of lakhs of people flocking to the city, the state administration has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the festival. It would be a challenge for the administration to accommodate the tourists in the pilgrim town, which was devastated by cyclone Fani that hit the coastal district on May 3.