Puri Jagannath Temple deities embark on Rath Yatra, but devotees’ absence robs festival of its glory

BHUBANESWAR: The three-km Grand Road, facing the majestic 12th century Jagannath Temple in Puri, was soaked in devotion as the sibling deities — Lords Jagannath and Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra — dressed in all their finery set off on their annual journey to their birthplace at Gundicha Temple on Monday, marking the first day of the much-awaited Rath Yatra in the state.
The curfew imposed on Puri since Sunday evening ensured that not a single devotee came near the chariots, which were pulled by 1,500 hand-picked servitors, whose RT-PCR test results had returned negative. While the state government can claim to have achieved a feat in ensuring a Covid-appropriate Rath Yatra, there is no denying that the festival lost its glory in the absence of devotees and tourists.
The Grand Road, which used to see lakhs of devotees and a flurry of activities every year during the Rath before Covid struck, saw only a few thousands of people on Monday, most of whom were temple servitors and police personnel and officials of the district and temple administrations.
This year’s high point was the timely completion of the rituals. Following a recent appeal by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the servitors conducted the rituals at least three hours before the scheduled time. In a written appreciation message, Naveen was all praise for the servitors, the police, temple and district officials for the peaceful and smooth conduct of the Rath Yatra in compliance with the Covid-safety protocols. “I also thank the people of Puri for their cooperation, restraint and self-discipline. This will set an inspiration for others,” Naveen’s message said.
However, this could not assuage the disappointment of the devotees. “We do realise that this is an unprecedented situation, but nothing can lessen the pain of not being able to have a darshan of Lord Jagannath. Though we could watch the live telecast of the festival on our TV screens, watching the deities up close and personal is a different experience altogether,” Sanghamitra Mahapatra, a resident of Puri said.
The servitors tugged at the ropes pulling the chariots braving the scorching heat of the sun and, of course, Covid to reach the Gundicha Temple by 5.35 pm. The chariots of Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath started at 12.05pm, 1.05pm and 1.50 pm, respectively. Devotees can neither go near the chariots nor enter the Gundicha until July 19, when the sibling deities will embark on their return journey, marking Bahuda Yatra on July 20.
“There were no reports of any violation of the curfew during the festival. It was peaceful and incident-free,” Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said.