Jagannath Rath Yatra 2021: Rath Yatra begins amid Covid-19 restrictions, PM Modi conveys greetings

Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday conveyed his greetings to everyone on the occasion of the beginning of the 144th Rath Yatra.

“Greetings to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We bow to Lord Jagannath and pray that his blessings bring good health and prosperity in everyone’s lives. Jai Jagannath!”, Modi said in a tweet.

Greetings to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We bow to Lord Jagannath and pray that his blessings bring good health and prosperity in everyone’s lives. Jai Jagannath!

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 12, 2021

The Rath Yatra ceremony began at Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad this morning. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel were present during the event. The government had recently said that the yatra will be taken out amid a curfew with only five vehicles, including three chariots, amid the pandemic.

CM Rupani had appealed to people to watch the proceedings of the event on television. “We hope that Gujarat becomes the first state to come out of the coronavirus pandemic and that the situation returns to normalcy,” CM Vijay Rupani said during the occasion.

Rath Yatra begins at Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad. CM Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel were present during the ceremony. The govt had recently announced that the yatra will be taken out amid a curfew with only five vehicles, including three chariots, amid the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/9zJ9FRoeBJ

— Express Gujarat (@ExpressGujarat) July 12, 2021

However, the Rath Yatra celebrations in Surat were cancelled by the Iskon temple authorities at Jehangirpura authorities on Friday.

Meanwhile in Odisha, a two-day curfew has been imposed in Puri and security has been increased as Rath Yatra celebrations began without the participation of devotees.