Puri Rath Yatra: Lakhs of devotees pull all three chariots to Gundicha Temple

Puri, June 28 (UNI) Lakhs of devotees today successfully pulled all three chariots of the deities to their destination, the Gundicha Temple.
On the first day of the festival yesterday, the procession was disrupted when the Taladhwaj Rath of Lord Balabhadra came to a halt midway on the Badadanda (Grand Road), blocking the path of the other two chariots.

Only the Nandighosh Rath of Lord Jagannath was moved a few metres forward to uphold tradition.

Today, the day began with rituals performed simultaneously by three sets of priests on the respective chariots.

The ceremonies included Mangal Arati, Mailum, Tadap Lagi, Abakash, followed by bhog offerings and dressing the deities in fresh clothes.

Chariot pulling resumed at 9:35 AM, beginning with the Taladhwaj Rath, which cleared the path for the Darpadalan Rath of Devi Subhadra and the Nandighosh Rath of Lord Jagannath.

Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and DGP Y.B.Khurania were among those seen participating in pulling the chariots.

All three chariots reached the Gundicha Temple by 1:20 PM.

District Magistrate Siddharth Shankar Swain, SJTA Chief Administrator, and Superintendent of Police Vinit Agarwal were present at the site.

Noted industrialist Gautam Adani, along with his family, also arrived at the Gundicha Temple under tight security.

They were welcomed by the temple and district administration and presented with a sacred Khandua (traditional cloth).

Adani offered prayers at the front of each chariot and later visited the free kitchen service centre near the temple.

The kitchen, a joint initiative of the Adani Group and ISKCON, is distributing free meals to devotees throughout the nine-day festival.

Speaking to the media at the kitchen premises, Gautam Adani said, “By the blessings of the Lord, I have received everything.

I prayed for the prosperity of the country and the progress of Odisha.”
He praised the arrangements made by the district and temple administration and commended the efforts of the Puri Municipality.

Adani added, “We also provided free food during the Kumbh Mela and received great satisfaction from that experience.

Here in Puri, we have engaged nearly 5,000 volunteers to prepare and distribute meals to the devotees.”

Later, Adani visited Puri Beach, where he interacted with lifeguards.

The Adani Group has sponsored several lifeguards at the beach as part of its initiative to prevent drowning incidents.