Lord Jagannath's Bahuda Yatra Today; Puri To Remain Shut Till Tomorrow

Puri Bahuda Yatra: People from other states have also been asked to refrain from coming to Odisha to watch the festival and abide by the orders of the Supreme Court.

Puri: Devotees pray during the 'dakhina moda' ritual of three chariots during Rath Yatra, at Gundicha temple in Puri, Sunday, June 28, 2020. (PTI Photo)

Puri Bahuda Yatra: Puri administration has clamped down restrictive orders in the entire district, which will continue till 10 pm on July 2, as the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath and his siblings will return to the revered shrine. This was done in order to prevent the congregation of devotees around the chariot during the return procession. The festival, also known as "Bahuda Yatra", in which Lord Jagannath return to the Sri Mandir with his divine siblings after a sojourn from their aunt’s place as per the mythology, is taking place on Wednesday. All the entry points to Puri will be sealed and no vehicle other than those engaged in the return car festival will be allowed into the temple town during the curfew hours, an official said. Also Check: Some Amazing facts about Jagannath Temple Rath Yatra The announcement of curfew in the district came a day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called upon everyone to adhere to a Supreme Court order and the COVID-19 guidelines to make the return car festival as successful as the Rath Yatra, as the whole world is watching the historic event amid the pandemic. People from other states have also been asked to refrain from watching the festival and abide by the orders of the Supreme Court. Among the other directives by the SC for the chariot festival are:

• Not more than 500 people, including servitors and security personnel, are allowed to pull one chariot, and hence, the administration requires 1,500 people to pull the three chariots.
• The number 500 shall include officials and police personnel.
• Those engaged in pulling chariots will have to maintain social distancing before, during and after the Rath Yatra.
• The people testing negative for COVID-19 will only be allowed to pull the chariots.
• The state government has also prohibited the movement of trains and passenger buses to Puri during the shutdown period, an official said.

Puri residents have also been asked to avoid stepping out of their houses to watch the return festival and have been advised to watch the festival on television. The return car festival marks the end of the nine-day Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Shubhadra, to the Shree Gundicha Temple. Also Watch: Baba Ramdev Exclusive on Coronil, says 'Corona patients can recover from it'