The chariots of Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and his brother Balbhadra, then embarked on the yatra from the 400- year-old Jagannath temple located in Jamalpur

Annual Lord Jagannath rath yatra commences; Narendra Modi wishes people
Pic courtesy/Twitter/Narendra Modi

The 142nd rath yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced in the city amid tight security on Thursday as lakhs of devotees flocked the 18-km route to catch a glimpse of the deity. Before the procession began, Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Chief Minister performed 'pahind vidhi' - a symbolic ritual of cleaning the path for the chariots using a golden broom. In the early hours, Amit Shah, Union Home Minister took part in 'mangla aarti' of the deities in the temple.

142nd #RathYatra begins from historic #JagannathTemple in Ahmedabad, Gujarat after religious traditional ritual by CM @vijayrupanibjp. pic.twitter.com/ozDGL94Xy3

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 4, 2019

HAppY #RathaJatra2019 to all.
Some pics of special arrangement of flowers decorating at singhadwara at Jagannath temple.
Jai jagannath🙏. pic.twitter.com/m0upfysyso

— Chowkidar Trilochan Satapathy (@trilochansatap1) July 4, 2019

My heartiest greetings and good wishes on the pious occasion of Rath Yatra.

I join millions in your prayers to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra.

Jai Jagannath.

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) July 4, 2019

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and his brother Balbhadra, then embarked on the yatra from the 400- year-old Jagannath temple located in Jamalpur area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted people on the occasion. "Best wishes to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings for the good health, happiness and prosperity of everyone. Jai Jagannath," he tweeted.

Also Read: Supreme Court seeks WB govt's response on BJP plea seeking permission for Rath Yatra

Best wishes to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra.

We pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings for the good health, happiness and prosperity of everyone.

Jai Jagannath. pic.twitter.com/l9v36YlUQ5

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2019

jai jagannath🙏🙏🙏🙏 happy car festival pic.twitter.com/hMQehMu30Q

— Ridhikanta Swain (@ridhikanta) July 4, 2019

Besides the three huge chariots, the rath yatra procession comprised 100 trucks with tableaux, 19 decorated elephants and members of 30 singing troupes. The yatra is taken out every year on Ashadhi Beej which is the second day of Ashadh month, as per the Hindu calender. The procession will return to the temple around 8.30 pm after passing through the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas like Kalupur, Jamalpur, Shahpur and Dariyapur.

With inputs from PTI

Also Read: ISKCON invites Nusrat Jahan as special guest for Rath Yatra in Kolkata, she accepts invite

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