JEYPORE/BARIPADA/KEONJHAR/DHENKANAL: Braving heavy rains, devotees from across the state took part in the Bahuda Yatra on Saturday.
Hundreds of devotees in Koraput took part in the rituals of the holy Trinity in Sabar Srikhetra. After completing rituals at the Gundicha temple, the deities were brought out in ceremonial pahandi procession and placed on their respective chariots. Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is on a two-day visit to the district, participated in the festivities. He offered special puja on Lord Jagannath’s chariot and pulled Devi Subhadra’s chariot along with other devotees.
Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, state Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Koraput collector V Keerthi Vasan, and SP Rohit Verma, also took part in the festivities.
Meanwhile, in Baripada’s Dwitiya Srikhetra, the Suna Besha (or Dwarika Besha) ritual of the holy Trinity was performed at the Mausima temple before the Bahuda Yatra, which will take place on Sunday, a practice distinct from Puri, where it is held after the deities return.
The Trinity was adorned in gold ornaments after rituals like Mangala Aarti, Maha Snana, and Abakasha. Thousands of devotees witnessed the majestic sight at the Mausima temple.
According to servitors Arun Kumar Mishra and Jayanta Tripathy, unlike in Puri, the deities spend the night on their chariots before completing their return to the Haribaldev Jew Temple the next day. Notably, as per tradition, the chariot of Devi Subhadra, will be pulled exclusively by women devotees.
Despite the downpour, the Bahuda Yatra of Lord Baladevjew was conducted in Keonjhar with devotion and discipline. Rituals such as Abakasha and Pahandi were performed on schedule. However, the pulling of the chariot had to be halted due to slippery roads near Balagandi and will resume on Sunday morning.
Similarly, Bahuda Yatra was celebrated amid heavy rains in Angul, Dhenkanal and Talcher districts. In Angul, the chariots started rolling from the Gundicha temple at 4 pm after Chera Pahanra was performed. In Dhenkanal, the chariots were pulled at around 3.30 pm. In Talcher, the chariots started rolling from Gundicha Mandir at 3.30 pm and reached Badadanda Sahi by 7.30 pm.