BARIPADA: The chariots of Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra, which had remained stationed on the Grand Road near the Shri Haribaladev Jew temple in Baripada, reached the Gundicha temple on Saturday. It took nearly four hours for the two chariots to reach the destination.
The chariot of Devi Subhadra had halted midway on the Grand Road in front of the Baripada Town police station on Friday and only Lord Balabhadra’s chariot could reach the Gundicha temple. Notably, the chariot of Devi Subhadra was exclusively pulled by women.
As per tradition in Baripada, the chariots are pulled a day after the Rath Yatra in Puri. The Pahandi ritual is conducted on the same day as Rath Yatra, after which the deities remain on their respective chariots on the Grand Road for two days while daily rituals are performed by the servitors.
Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, collector Hemakanta Say and SP Varun Guntupalli were among those present during the procession. A senior police officer said that more than three lakh devotees gathered on the Grand Road on the day.
