Puri, June 27: The sacred Rath Yatra, marking one of the most revered rituals in the Jagannath Temple calendar, commenced today amid much religious fervour and devotion.
About 10-12 lakhs devotees thronged the pilgrim town of Puri to witness the revered Rath Yatra. The ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ rituals began at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri at around 10:50 am and is about to conclude at around 12:30 pm, marking an important milestone.
As the air filled with the spiritual sounds of conches, gongs, and the rhythmic beating of cymbals, the holy Trinity Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra along with Chakraraj Sudarshan were brought out of the sanctum sanctorum in a grand procession and taken to their respective chariots for Rath yatra.
The proceedings began as per the traditional schedule with the Pahandi of Lord Sudarshan, the celestial weapon of Lord Vishnu, who was the first to be escorted to the Debadalana chariot as the sarathi. Following him, Lord Balabhadra made his way out in a similar ceremonial style to Taladwaja chariot, followed by Devi Subhadra to Debadalana chariot and finally, the presiding deity, Lord Jagannath to Nandighosha.
Immediately after, the deities Sri Madanmohan, Sri Ram, and Sri Krushna will be seated in their respective chariots from 12:30 pm to 1 pm.
The next rituals will take place from 1:30 pm to 2 pm, when the Chitalagi ceremony will be performed. Simultaneously, the Besha Sesa ritual will be conducted from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, adding to the sacred proceedings.
As the festivities progress, the Chhera Pahanra ritual will be performed from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Later, the Charamalaphita ceremony will take place, and the horse and Sarathi will be fixed at 4 pm.
The chariot pulling will commence at 4 pm, marking the grand culmination of the rituals.
