Puri Rath Yatra Begins to Roll

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Balabhadra Pahandi

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

Jul 10, 2013 — JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — The state government on Wednesday heaved a sigh of relief as Day One of the nine-day Rath Yatra passed off peacefully at Puri, against a backdrop of possible terror strike on the sacred installation -- Jagannath Temple, considered one of the high risk shrines in the country.

There was an unfortunate incident, however, when a priest, Bhramara Bhoi, lost his left leg after being crushed under the wheel of Jagannath's Nandighos chariot.

Chariot Pulling Rope

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

Even as the police were on toes in the wake of the Bodh Gaya blasts, devotees shed fear and tugged the three iconic chariots in gung-ho spirit on the 3-km-Grand Road. Till late evening, the Lord's annual sojourn was otherwise incident-free. "Barring stray incidents, where some devotees fainted due to scorching heat in the morning, the festival was hassle-free," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.

Chariot Ghantua

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

Threat perception aside, it was a daunting task for the police to ensure the safety of VVIPs, who thronged to witness Rath Yatra. Governor S.C. Jamir and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, among others, were present outside the temple to watch Rath Yatra. Gun-toting policemen covered the temple from all sides to thwart any danger.

Chariot Dancers

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

All roads led to Jagannath Temple as a wave of euphoria swept across the temple town, with the reigning Deities commencing their nine-day 'outing' to Gundicha Temple amid boisterous procession. "It was a lifetime experience to have darshan of the Deities. I had been waiting for the moment since long," said Jayanarayan dasa, an American ISKCON devotee.

From dawn, devotees started occupying their positions in and around the temple to witness the annual extravaganza. Police had a tough time taming the teeming crowd, going restless. While the sun was blazing till 1 pm, the heavens later opened, bringing much needed relief for devotees. Before the rain lashed, as many as 150 devotees were rushed to hospital and nearby first-aid centres after they fainted under the blazing sun. No casualty was reported till late evening.

Balabhadra Pahandi

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

Unlike last year, the rituals were delayed for nearly one hour this time. The delay is allegedly attributed to some influential pilgrims, who were allowed by some senior police officers to enter the sanctum sanctorum to have darshan of the Deities prior to the pahandi ritual. The chariots of Jagannath and Subhadra could not reach Gundicha Temple, as the pulling of chariots was stopped in the evening. The chariot-pulling exercise will resume tomorrow.

Gajapati Chera Pahanara

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]

The high point of this year's Rath Yatra is better crowd management. "It was a herculean task to tackle lakhs of devotees on the small Grand Road. Luckily no stampede or casualty took place this time. We better managed the sea of crowd," Sahoo said. Last year, two devotees were killed in stampede on the Grand Road, while six devotees had died in 2008 Rath Yatra. For smooth passage of pilgrims, the Puri administration shut most of the narrow lanes and by-lanes connecting to Grand Road.

Subhadra Pahandi

[ Photo: Sampradaya Sun ]