BARIPADA: Thousands of devotees thronged the Mausima temple on Saturday from the morning braving incessant rains to catch a glimpse of Dwarika Besha or Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath, His elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra. The deities here are decked up in gold ornaments before returning to the main temple in Bahuda Yatra. After morning rituals, the servitors decorated the Trinity in gold ornaments. Goti Pahandi was held after 5 pm and got completed around 7.30 pm.
As per the tradition of Dwitiya Srikhetra, the Trinity is worshipped on the chariots on the day of Pahandi and the pulling of three chariots is carried out a day after the ritual. Accordingly the chariot pulling will be held here on Sunday. The car festival in Puri is an eight-day affair but here the festival continues for 13 days. Elaborate security arrangements were made by the district police. At least 25 platoon forces along with 50 officers and home guards were deployed for the smooth conduct of the grand event, said Baripada SDPO KK Hariprasad.