Puri: Two months after Cyclone Fani swept through coastal Odisha, destroying whatever lay on its path, the state is going to witness its biggest festival, the annual nine-day Rath Yatra, from Thursday.
Puri, which bore the brunt of the cyclone, will open its arms and hearts to thousands of devotees and tourists expected to throng the town to witness the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra, as they make the trip from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple, their birth place.
Contrary to fears that the calamity might rob the Rath Yatra of its sheen, Puri was restored to its original glory on a war footing. The damaged hotels, too, are back in business.
“We have made foolproof preparations to host the mega festival. All requisite infrastructure and tourist amenities are in place. The devotees will have a smooth stay during the Rath Yatra,” Puri district collector Balwant Singh said.
The Puri district administration on Wednesday gave finishing touches to the massive preparations. The Grand Road was packed with devotees on the eve of Rath Yatra. Buoyed by favourable weather, thousands descended on the road with chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ filled up the air as cymbals, flutes and drums played out.
“I am excited to have a darshan of the deities. Since we (non-Hindus) are not allowed inside the temple, the Rath Yatra is a big occasion for us,” said Guruprava Dasi, an American devotee of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON).
More people are expected to come, from across India and abroad, to catch a glimpse of the deities as the chariots carrying the sibling deities move among a sea of humanity during the Yatra, pulled by the devotees.
Director general of police R P Sharma said adequate security arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the festival. Temporary CCTV cameras have been installed across Puri as the permanent ones were damaged in the cyclone. “At least 155 platoons of police, including rapid action force (RAF), will be mobilised for crowd control, traffic management and security of pilgrims and VIPs,” Sharma said.
“Our focus is to ensure hassle-free movement of devotees on the Grand Road,” added the DGP given that crowd mismanagement had triggered stampedes and chaos during the festival in 2008, 2010 and 2015.
The pulling of the chariots is scheduled to start between 3.30 pm and 4 pm after a series of rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum and the ceremonial chherapahanra (sweeping of the chariot decks) by Puri king Dibyasingha Deb, who is revered as the first servitor of the deities.
The king will reach the chariots on a palanquin from his royal palace, about 500 metres from the temple. Like previous years, the devotees will neither be allowed to mount the chariots nor touch the deities. Only duty-bound servitors will be allowed to remain on the chariots.
The Rath Yatra is considered as one of the world’s longest surviving public celebrations. Even though a host of places across the world observe the festival with equal enthusiasm, the Rath Yatra in Puri continues to be a major crowd puller.
EoM
Puri, which bore the brunt of the cyclone, will open its arms and hearts to thousands of devotees and tourists expected to throng the town to witness the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Balabhadra and Subhadra, as they make the trip from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple, their birth place.
Contrary to fears that the calamity might rob the Rath Yatra of its sheen, Puri was restored to its original glory on a war footing. The damaged hotels, too, are back in business.
“We have made foolproof preparations to host the mega festival. All requisite infrastructure and tourist amenities are in place. The devotees will have a smooth stay during the Rath Yatra,” Puri district collector Balwant Singh said.
The Puri district administration on Wednesday gave finishing touches to the massive preparations. The Grand Road was packed with devotees on the eve of Rath Yatra. Buoyed by favourable weather, thousands descended on the road with chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ filled up the air as cymbals, flutes and drums played out.
“I am excited to have a darshan of the deities. Since we (non-Hindus) are not allowed inside the temple, the Rath Yatra is a big occasion for us,” said Guruprava Dasi, an American devotee of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON).
More people are expected to come, from across India and abroad, to catch a glimpse of the deities as the chariots carrying the sibling deities move among a sea of humanity during the Yatra, pulled by the devotees.
Director general of police R P Sharma said adequate security arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the festival. Temporary CCTV cameras have been installed across Puri as the permanent ones were damaged in the cyclone. “At least 155 platoons of police, including rapid action force (RAF), will be mobilised for crowd control, traffic management and security of pilgrims and VIPs,” Sharma said.
“Our focus is to ensure hassle-free movement of devotees on the Grand Road,” added the DGP given that crowd mismanagement had triggered stampedes and chaos during the festival in 2008, 2010 and 2015.
The pulling of the chariots is scheduled to start between 3.30 pm and 4 pm after a series of rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum and the ceremonial chherapahanra (sweeping of the chariot decks) by Puri king Dibyasingha Deb, who is revered as the first servitor of the deities.
The king will reach the chariots on a palanquin from his royal palace, about 500 metres from the temple. Like previous years, the devotees will neither be allowed to mount the chariots nor touch the deities. Only duty-bound servitors will be allowed to remain on the chariots.
The Rath Yatra is considered as one of the world’s longest surviving public celebrations. Even though a host of places across the world observe the festival with equal enthusiasm, the Rath Yatra in Puri continues to be a major crowd puller.
EoM
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