Puri: Participating in the world famous Rath Yatra in Puri along with lakhs of devotees from across the globe on Wednesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sought the blessing of Mahaprabhu Jagannath and his sibling deities.
The Odisha CM had darshan of the Holy Trinity atop the chariots and prayed the Lord for the well-being of the people of the state.
Later, Naveen entered the sea of devotees on the Bada Danda and also pulled the Nandighosa, the chariot of Lord Jagannath along with others.
Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal and 5T Secretary VK Pandian also participated in the Rath Yatra.
The chariot pulling began following rituals of chhera pahanra performed by Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb on three chariots.
In the morning, the chariots were worshipped by the temple priest for the 9-day Ratha Jatra of deities. The deities were escorted to their respective chariots in dhadi pahandi by servitors from Anasar house. The subsidiary deities — Rama Krushna, Madan Mohan and Sudarshan — were also seated atop chariots for the divine journey.
Amidst chants of Jai Jagannath and the beating of cymbals and gongs, devotees danced in joy as the deities swayed all the way to their respective chariots in Pahandi. It was indeed a unique spectacle that draws lakhs of devotees to the pilgrim town of Puri every year on the occasion of Rath Yatra.
At first, Taladhwaja chariot carrying Lord Balabhadra started rolling after 3 pm, ahead of schedule fixed by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for Ratha Jatra. Thereafter, the Darpadalana and Nandighosha chariots were pulled by devotees towards the Gundicha Temple.
