Bhubaneswar, July 16: More than eight lakh devotees participated in the world-famous Rath Yatra 2026 of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Chakraraj Sudarshana in Puri on Thursday, braving persistent rain and inclement weather to witness the grand annual festival.

Despite adverse weather conditions throughout the day, an estimated 8–9 lakh devotees from Odisha, across India and abroad gathered in the holy city, underscoring their deep faith and devotion. All key rituals, including the ceremonial pulling of the three chariots, were conducted smoothly and completed as scheduled. Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya also visited the chariots and offered prayers.

The Odisha government had put in place extensive multi-layered arrangements to ensure the safe and successful conduct of the festival. Preparations involved coordinated efforts by the Police, Health, Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Transport, Municipal Administration, Public Health Engineering, Energy and other departments.

Authorities maintained round-the-clock monitoring with adequate security deployment, CCTV surveillance, public announcement systems, traffic management, sanitation, drinking water facilities, emergency response teams and medical services to facilitate a safe pilgrimage for devotees.

Owing to the massive turnout and continuous rainfall, several devotees experienced fatigue, dehydration, suffocation and other minor health issues during the festival. Seven people who fell seriously ill were immediately evacuated and shifted to hospitals.

Among them, a male devotee aged above 60 years died, with authorities investigating the exact cause of death. In a separate incident, another male devotee aged over 35 years suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away despite receiving immediate medical attention. Several other devotees affected by rain-related illnesses were treated at hospitals and later discharged.

Officials said the festival remained peaceful and well-organised, with no incidents of stampede or any major crowd management failure. Coordinated efforts by the administration, security personnel, servitors and volunteers ensured the smooth movement of devotees, while all essential services functioned effectively throughout the event.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi thanked the servitors and the lakhs of devotees for their patience, discipline and cooperation, which contributed significantly to the peaceful conduct of the festival. He also reaffirmed the state government's commitment to further strengthening infrastructure, public services and administrative preparedness to ensure a safe, dignified and convenient experience for devotees in future Rath Yatras.