Odisha: Chariots Brought To Puri Srimandir, Security Tightened As Prez Murmu To Witness Jagannath Rath Yatra Today

All three chariots of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings were brought to the Puri Srimandir on Saturday, a day before the Rath Yatra.

The grand annual Rath Yatra or the chariot festival of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, is all set to begin on Sunday, in the holy coastal city of Odisha's Puri. A day before the festival, the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra named Nandighosha, Darpadalana, and Taladhwaja, were brought to Singha Dwara of Puri Srimandir.

Hundreds of traditional carpenters and painters helped in making the three huge chariots of the Lords.

Security arrangements are also in place to ensure the festival is celebrated smoothly and the public does not face any problems. 

Speaking about the security arrangements in view of the Rath Yatra, Odisha ADG Law and Order, Sanjay Kumar said: "All the three chariots have been dragged and put on the respective places...All the security arrangements have been made...180 platoons of force, three companies of Rapid Action Force, two companies of CRPF and special operations groups are deployed."

"The President of India will also arrive tomorrow...The mock drill of chariot dragging has been conducted...We will try our best to ensure that the public does not face any problems," he added.

DG, fire service, Sudhanshu Sarangi told PTI that elaborate arrangeemnts have been made by the fire service department as it is expected that a crowd of 10 to 15 lakh will be in Odisha for the festival.

"Altogether 46 modern fire tenders have been deployed in various parts of the town and along the sea beach for the Rath Yatra, said .As hot and humid weather may prevail, water will be sprinkled on the crowd," he said.

President Murmu Arrives In Odisha

Earlier today, President Murmu arrived in Bhubaneswar for her four-day visit to Odisha. She will be attending the Rath Yatra festival in Puri on Sunday. She will witness the Gundicha Jatra (Car Festival) of Lord Jagannath at Puri on July 7.

Special security arrangements have been made for the President’s visit to the festival.

"While a VIP zone has been planned for the Odisha governor, chief minister, Union ministers and other dignitaries, a buffer zone has been planned for the President," ADG (law and order) Sanjay Kumar said.

"A dedicated team led by a senior SP rank officer has been formed to supervise the visit of Murmu to the pilgrim town," he added.

'Sevaks, Administration Trying Hard To Complete Rituals Before Time': Puri King Deba 

Puri king Dibyasingha Deba spoke to PTI about the Jagannath Rath Yatra preparations and said that the sevaks and administration are trying their best to ensure the rituals are completed before time.

"By the Lord's grace, all preparations for the grand Rath Yatra in Jagannatha Puri is going on very, very smoothly. Although the timing fixed for this year's Rath Yatra, which is on July 7, has been delayed because the rituals of two days has to be completed in two days of the yatra. Still, the sevaks and administration are trying very hard to complete all the rituals before time. So, as per the schedule that has been fixed, the procession of the deities will begin on July 7 around 1 pm, instead of early morning which is the usual norm," he said. 

Odisha Govt Declares Holiday On Monday

The state government has also declared the day after Rath Yatra a holiday as the pulling of chariots will continue the next day too.

"It is a unique and rare Rath Yatra which will be celebrated for two days (July 7-8). So, a decision has been taken to declare the day after Rath Yatra as a holiday," Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Tuesday.

CM Majhi during the review meeting on Rath Yatra in Puri on Tuesday sought the cooperation of all the stakeholders including servitors, district administration and the local public for smooth and hassle-free conduct of the Rath Yatra festival.

"Such a situation last occurred in 1971 around 53 years ago when Nava Youvan Darshan, Netrotsav and Rath Yatra fell on the same day. The last time the Pahandi Bije, the ceremonial procession of holy siblings along with other deities from the 12th century shrine to their respective chariots, started at 2 p.m. while the pulling of chariots started at 7 p.m. in the evening just for the sake of ritual," senior Daitapati servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra told IANS.

"However, this time we will try hard to complete all the rituals inside the temple an hour before 1 p.m., the time fixed for the Pahandi rituals on July 7. It is also expected that more devotees will gather on Rath Yatra as they will fail to have a glimpse of the lords on Nava Youvan Darshan," he added.