Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel offered prayers to Lord Jagannath, on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Bij, and performed the rituals for the Lord's chariot at the Jagannath Temple premises in Ahmedabad before flagging off the 149th Rath Yatra.
Bhupendra Patel performed the Pahind Vidhi, the symbolic ritual of cleaning the chariot, by sweeping Lord Jagannath's Rath with a golden broom for the fifth consecutive year. He then participated in bringing the Lord's main chariot out of the Jagannath Temple premises, marking the commencement of the city's annual Rath Yatra procession.
The Chief Minister extended greetings to all citizens on the occasion and said that he felt fortunate to have the opportunity to offer prayers, perform the Aarti, and flag off the Rath Yatra on the sacred occasion of Ashadhi Bij.
He said that the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad has become a symbol of communal harmony.
CM reviews real-time monitoring of Rath Yatra
Bhupendra Patel reviewed the real-time monitoring of the movement and management of the 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad through the live feed displayed on the video wall of the CM Dashboard at the Chief Minister's residence.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, Chief Secretary MK Das, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Home Department Sanjeev Kumar, Director General of Police GS Malik, along with senior officials from the Police Department and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, also joined the Chief Minister during the review.
The Jagannath Rath Yatra, one of the country's most revered religious festivals, is celebrated on Thursday with great devotion as Lord Jagannath, along with Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, is taken in a grand procession on elaborately decorated chariots, drawing lakhs of devotees from across India and abroad.
President, PM extend greetings
President Droupadi Murmu extended greetings to devotees, saying that the soulful occasion marked the union of the devotee and the Divine is "truly unique."
In a post on X, President Murmu prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the country and its people to continue to flourish.
"On the auspicious occasion of Mahaprabhu's Rath Yatra, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all devotees of Shri Jagannath across the country and abroad. It is a widely held belief that during the magnificent tradition of this sacred procession, Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath, accompanied by Chakraraj Sudarshan, elder brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra, comes out to meet the devotees. This soulful occasion, marking the union of the devotee and the Divine, is truly unique," the President of India's official wrote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also prayed for the well-being and prosperity of all on the occassion. "May Mahaprabhu Jagannath bless everyone with good health, happiness and prosperity. May He give us strength for all our endeavours and deepen the spirit of togetherness in our society. Jai Jagannath!" he wrote.
(With inputs from ANI)
