The Jagannath Temple was decked up ahead of the Bahuda Yatra in Puri, Odisha, on Monday. The Yatra marks the end of the nine-day sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra. The deities will return to Srimandir from the Gundicha temple in three different, decorated chariots that will be pulled by devotees.
The devotees began arriving at the spot early in the morning, and the rituals started at 8 am with a puja.
PTI reported that 'Pahandi', or the ceremonial procession of the deities — Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, Lord Jagannath along with Chakraraj Sudarshan — will start at noon, and chariot pulling at 4 pm.
Once the Pahandi is completed, the titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, will perform the 'Cheera Pahanra' ritual, which involves sweeping the chariots.
Around 5 lakh people will congregate for the festival.
Security Arrangements For The Yatra
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the smooth movement of the procession.
On Sunday, while speaking to ANI about the preparations, Odisha ADG (Law & Order) Sanjay Kumar said the security forces were on high alert, and the entire city was under comprehensive CCTV surveillance. Kumar said their main concern was traffic, adding that they has “implemented the finest arrangements which everyone is appreciating”.
Kumar said the security arrangements had also been “upgraded” so the devotees face no problems when they pull the chariots of the deities.
Kumar said the personnel posted were drawn from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), apart from the Special Operations Group (SOG). “Despite the rough weather, everyone is on duty," he added.
On Monday, Kumar said, "With the blessings of god, all our arrangements are in place. The police force, police personnel, officers, everybody has taken their position.”
“All the arrangements like CCTV, force deployment, traffic clearance, crowd control, and quadrant control, are in place, we have checked it. We have done rehearsals also. So today we are not anticipating any problem...," Kumar added, as quoted by ANI.
Significance Of Bahuda Yatra
The 'Bahuda Yatra' marks the return of Lord Jagannath and his siblings from the Gundicha temple to the 12th-century shrine.
Nine days ago, the chariots were taken to the Gundicha Temple, which is considered the temple of the siblings' aunt.
The Bahuda Yatra is described as the return journey of the siblings, in a similar procession as the Rath Yatra, the devotees pull the chariots back to the Jagannath Temple. The festival concludes with a ritual called Niladri Vijaya, in which the chariots are dismantled. This symbolises the end of the divine journey, according to Hindustan Times.