BHUBANESWAR/PURI: Braving heavy rains, lakhs thronged Puri to witness the grand Rath Yatra on Thursday even as a delay of over two hours in Lord Jagannath’s Pahandi procession and the absence of his majestic floral tiara left many devotees disappointed.
The festival was also marked by two deaths, including a 60-year-old man falling victim to a sudden crowd surge triggered by heavy rain, while six others were hospitalised after falling ill, mostly due to suffocation.
The first incident occurred near Marichkot Market, where food was being distributed among devotees. The seven affected persons were rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH), where the elderly man was declared dead. The remaining six were treated and are stated to be stable. Officials said the exact cause of the sexagenarian’s death is yet to be ascertained.
In a separate and unrelated incident, a 30-year-old pilgrim, identified as Anil Das, suffered a cardiac arrest during the festival. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
A senior official said continuous rain had made the road slippery, while the massive footfall of pilgrims posed a significant crowd management challenge. The state government clarified that there was no stampede. It maintained that the overall situation remained under control and that adequate crowd management measures were in place throughout the event.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed Health minister Mukesh Mahaling to get a clear picture about the incident of crowd surge which led to the death of one person. A fact-based report has been sought.
Puri received more than 200 mm of rainfall over the past 36 hours. Despite the incessant downpour, the entire three-km Grand Road remained packed with lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad.
Pilgrims had lined the Grand Road (Bada Danda) since early morning, the constant drizzle and downpour notwithstanding, to witness the ceremonial Pahandi and later pull the three chariots. While the Pahandi of Lord Jagannath began on time at around 9 am, the procession concluded only around 2.30 pm.
The delay in Lord Jagannath’s ascension to the chariot affected the whole schedule. At the end of the day, Taladhwaja Rath of Balabhadra was halted half way on Badadanda with Darpadallan of Devi Subhadra near the municipal market. The Nandighosh Rath of Lord Jagannath was moved a few metres before the chariot-pulling was stopped. The chariots will make their way to Gundicha temple on Friday.
A senior servitor said the rituals had commenced about 30 minutes ahead of schedule and were expected to be completed by 12.30 pm. However, the Pahandi of Lord Jagannath was delayed by more than two hours. Devotees also noticed that the deity did not wear the customary giant floral tiara, while the trademark rhythmic gallops during the procession were missing.
Sources in the temple said the whole process was affected by the uninterrupted showers. As Lord Jagannath emerged from the sanctum sanctorum on to the temple steps, his carrier servitors struggled to maintain balance on the slippery surface. This reportedly led to the tiara slipping down the deity’s head. Attempts to restore it were unsuccessful.
Earlier in the day, priests completed the customary rituals on time before the Dhadi Pahandi began. Daita servitors escorted Lord Balabhadra to the Taladhwaja chariot, Devi Subhadra to the Darpadalan chariot and Lord Jagannath to the Nandighosh, accompanied by the sound of ghantas, mridangas and conch shells, with Odissi dancers leading the ceremonial procession.
Shankaracharya of Puri Gobardhan peeth, Swami Neeschalananda Saraswati, came with his disciples and offered prayers to the holy Trinity in their respective Raths. Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb arrived in a beautifully-decorated palanquin at 4 pm and performed Chhera Pahanra (sweeping the Raths with a gold broom), which was completed by 4.40 pm.
Servitors removed Charamala (ladders) from the rathas and fixed wooden horses to the Taladhwaja Rath of Balabhadra and chariot-pulling began at 5 pm. Devi Subhadra began her journey on Darpadalan by 6 pm. Nandighosh Rath of Lord Jagannath was pulled a few metres.
Governor Haribabu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, deputy chief ministers Pravati Parida and KV Singh Deo, state ministers, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and local MP Sambit Patra witnessed the festival.
Majhi expressed gratitude to the servitors, security personnel, volunteers and officials for their dedicated efforts in managing the festival. He thanked the devotees for their patience, discipline and cooperation in ensuring the smooth and peaceful celebration of the annual festival despite challenging weather conditions.
The whole town was put under heavy security ring to prevent any untoward incident. Around 12,000 security personnel, including the RAF, NDRF, NSG, anti-drone squads, and AI-monitored surveillance, covered the entire town and Rath Yatra venue. Marine police vessels patrolled the coastline while surveillance drones kept a close vigil on the town.
NO STAMPEDE, SAYS MAHALING
Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling reviewed the situation at the district headquarters hospital along with advisor to the CM, Prakash Mishra. He clarified that there was no stampede during the Rath Yatra. He said that compensation amount for the families of the deceased persons will be announced by the state government after discussion with the chief minister. More than 200 devotees fell ill during the day, sources said.