PURI : Pulling of the three chariots resumed on Monday amid a large gathering of devotees on Grand Road.
The temple priests performed daily rituals like mangal alati, abakash, mailum and tadap lagi before offering gopal bhog to the deities on the chariots. The deities were then dressed in a new set of clothes following which pulling of the chariots began with Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaj at 9.20 am from Marichikot Chowk along Badadanda. It was followed by Darpadalan of Devi Subhadra and Nandighosh of Lord Jagannath.
While Nandighosh was pulled for a few metres from its parking spot near Simhadwar, the devotees pulled the three chariots to Gundicha temple by 2.35 pm. No untoward incident was reported during the process. The pulling of the chariots a day later was necessitated as this year, the anasar period of the deities had been reduced to 13 days from the usual 15 as per the temple almanac. On Sunday, three vital rituals-netra utsav and nabajouban vesha were performed. Devotees were prohibited from darshan of the deities while the rituals were performed.
Since the chariots have reached Gundicha temple, the deities will be escorted into the shrine in goti pahandi, to be conducted by daita servitors late in the evening, and seated on Ratna Simhasan. This will be be followed by conduct of regular rituals along with offering of mahaprasad to the deities.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu left Puri after spending the night in Raj Bhawan. Sources said, she strolled on the beach in the morning and shared her concerns over environmental degradation in a post on X. She said there are two ways to meet the challenge of protecting and conserving the environment. While broader steps can be taken by governments and international organisations, we as citizens must take the smaller ones. She further wrote the two complement each other. “Let us pledge to do what we can do individually, locally for the sake of a better tomorrow. We owe it to our children,” she posted in her X handle.
Rath Yatra in London
The Shree Jagannatha Society UK (SJSUK) celebrated Rath Yatra in Southall, London, on Sunday, drawing hundreds of devotees from across the United Kingdom. The event was organised at The Featherstone High School, Southall. Over 600 devotees of all ages participated, engaging in chanting, dancing, and pulling the resplendent chariot, immersing themselves in the rich cultural heritage of the Jagannath tradition. The festivities began with the preparation of a beautifully adorned chariot, hand-constructed by dedicated volunteers. The deities were ceremonially dressed and carried to the chariot in a grand pahandi from Shri Ram Mandir, Southall. The Chhera Pahanra of the chariot was performed by Manoj Panda and Ajay Thakur from the Indian High Commission in London, and Dr Krishna Mohan Pathi from India. The air was filled with the sounds of cymbals and conches as devotees pulled the chariot. The celebration concluded with the offering of Chhappan Bhog Prasad, a spread of 56 delicacies, to the deities.