Lord Jagannath’s Yatra rolls out in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: Lord Jagannath stepped out in style for his annual excursion of Ahmedabad on the auspicious day of Rathyatra on Saturday morning.

BJP national chief Amit Shah performed the ‘mangla Arti’ at the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur at around 4 am amidst a sea of devotees. The saffron party’s president was given a special garland and blessed by the temple’s Mahant for success in coming days.

The eve of the yatra is the only day in the year where devotees can see the deities in ‘sona vesh’ (golden attire).

CM Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel offered the ‘pahind Vidhi’ for the second consecutive year paving way for the rollout of the Yatra.

A number of smaller yatras take place in areas

This time a large congregation of around 2,500 Sadhu have arrived in Ahmedabad to take part in the Yatra.

Devotees participate in Rath yatra

Lord Jagannath is accompanied by his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra on the day long Yatra which will halt at their maternal uncle’s place in Saraspur.

Rajwadi (royal) attire has been chosen for the trinity of Jagannath, Balram and Subhadra for their travel in the city

A large posse of policemen armed with hi-tech surveillance systems are keeping a watch on the sensitive event in the walled city.