Rath yatra: Chariot pulling ends at Haribaldevjew temple in Dwitiya Srikhetra
BARIPADA: A sea of devotees poured onto the Grand Road of Haribaldevjew temple here to pull the chariot of Lord Jagannath on the third day of Rath Yatra on Sunday. The Rath Yatra festival at Baripada, known as Dwitiya Srikhetra, is a 13-day affair. While the chariot of Lord Balabhadra had reached Mausi Maa temple earlier, the ones of Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra arrived at the destination on the day. Lord Jagannath’s chariot reached Mausi Maa temple at around 5.30 pm. The chariot of Devi Subhadra was pulled only by women devotees.
Rajya Sabha Member Mamata Mohanta took part in the chariot pulling. Expressing her happiness, the MP said prior to this, she had not got the opportunity to pull the chariots of the Trinity. But this year, she was lucky. “Due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, I was able to participate in chariot pulling. I thank the district administration and police for conducting the mega event smoothly,” she added.
As per official reports, over two lakh devotees thronged the Grand Road on the day. Police personnel, both in plain clothes and uniform, were deployed on the Grand Road for crowd management and smooth conduct of Rath Yatra. A drone camera was also engaged to keep a watch on the activities of the crowd. The entry points to the Grand Road were closed for vehicles. Traffic on several other routes was diverted for the festival.
Mayurbhanj SP Rishikesh D Khilari said police had requested devotees not to wear any ornaments while pulling the chariots. No untoward incident was reported during the three days of Rath Yatra.
The car festival at Dwitiya Srikhetra is unique. While the Trinity reaches Mausi Maa temple on the same day at Puri, the chariot pulling at Baripada is a three-day affair.