Thousands turn up to witness Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: Lakhs of devotees gathered near Jagannath temples in their localities here to celebrate Rath Yatra on Sunday. The resonance of conchs and gongs echoed all through the Capital city with the chorus of ‘hari bol’ as various small and big chariots carried the divine siblings Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to their aunt’s house. The fervour of Rath Yatra took over the denizens, who participated in the festival with gaiety.  Thousands of devotees also turned up to witness Rath Yatra at International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple. While the ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ began at 10.30 am here, pulling of chariots started by 2 pm. ‘Chhera Pahanra’ of the chariots was performed by Bhakti Gaourav Narayan  Swamimaharaj. A Gurupuja was also organised in the morning to pay respects to ISKCON founder Guru Srila Prabhupada. The deities will stay in the Gundicha temple near the DAV School Unit VIII. “The Rath Yatra over the years has emerged as a symbol of communal harmony with participation from all sects and reflects the true Indian culture in spirit,” said Dhruba Maharaj Das, president of the temple. The beautifully decorated raths, an array of sweets, chanting of mantras and the smell of incense sticks lent a divine feeling. MLA Ashok Panda and MP Prasanna Patsani were present. The Unit VIII area, Sailashree Vihar, Niladri Vihar, Vani Vihar and VSS Nagar were other prominent localities where Rath Yatra festivities were organised.Traffic was regulated at many places to facilitate pulling of chariots on the road.Over 30,000 people gathered at the Kalinga  Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) to witness the Rath Yatra at the Shrivani Khetra temple on the institution’s premises. Rituals like Mangal Aarti, Mailama, Tadapalagi, Rosha Homi, Surya Puja and Pahandi were performed in the morning as per the schedule of Jagannath temple in Puri. The ‘Chhera Pahanra’ was performed by KITT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta.  Pulling of the chariots began by noon and women pulled Devadalan, chariot of Goddess Subhadra.  Tribal students of the institution and a large number of foreign devotees also participated. Sources said the Shrivani Khetra temple was constructed on the KISS premises a few years back on the suggestion of Puri Gajapati Dibyasingh Dev.