The Bahuda Rath Yatra, also known as the ‘Return Car Festival’, is underway in Puri as the deities return to the Jagannath Temple from Gundicha Temple, marking the end of their nine-day sojourn. The festival, which features Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, saw thousands of devotees pulling the deities' chariots back to Sri Mandir.
The Pahandi rituals commenced this morning with Lord Balabhadra, followed by Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, being ceremoniously brought out to their chariots. Devotees thronged the streets to participate in the festivities and witness the grand procession.
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida reflected on the auspiciousness of the event, saying, "It is with god's grace that we all have been able to witness this day. As soon as Prabhu Jagannath was brought out of the temple, it began raining heavily, but then the weather became sunny again. I hope Prabhu Jagannath blesses us all and the state of Odisha", news agency ANI reported
Odisha Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan emphasised the global significance of the festival, stating, "It is an important day today, not just for Odisha, but for the world. We ensured everything went on in sequence and gave everyone joy. We are grateful to the administration, servitors, and the people for making the festival joyous and organised. We pray to Prabhu Jagannath to bless the people of the state and the world and we pray for everyone's peace."
Bahuda Rath Yatra: Security Measures Were Significantly Enhanced In Puri
Security measures were significantly enhanced in Puri to ensure the smooth conduct of the Yatra. According to ANI, Pinak Mishra, the Superintendent of Police in Puri, stated, "Adequate security arrangements have been made for Bahuda Yatra. We have two integrated control rooms for crowd control, chariot dragging, traffic, and parking arrangements."
Odisha's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Sanjay Kumar, elaborated on the comprehensive preparations, saying, "With the blessings of god, all our arrangements are in place. The police force, personnel, and officers have taken their positions. We have checked all arrangements like CCTV, force deployment, traffic clearance, and crowd control, and conducted rehearsals. Today, we are not anticipating any problems."
Kumar also highlighted the substantial deployment of security forces, mentioning, "180 platoon forces, armed police forces, three companies of RAF, and two companies of CRPF have been deployed."