Massive surge in Puri as 10 lakh devotees take part in Rath Yatra

PURI: A staggering 10 lakh people crowded Grand Road, braving intense heat and humidity to witness the sibling deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra - make their way to Gundicha Temple, their birthplace in chariots, as the annual Rath Yatra festival reached a crescendo.
Among the chariot pullers were chief minister Naveen Patnaik and dignitaries, including governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Justice of Orissa high court S Muralidhar and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
A wave of euphoria swept across Puri with chants of Jai Jagannath reverberating across the town. "I could not hold back my tears the moment I caught a glimpse of Lord Jagannath coming out of his holy abode and getting on to the chariot. It's no less than a divine feeling to get soaked in the moment," said Payal Singh, a devotee from Delhi.
The temple administration said the Rath Yatra rituals were completed an hour before schedule. “We got cooperation from the servitors, leading to early conduct of the rituals. The chariot pulling exercise continued till evening,” temple’s chief administrator Ranjan Das said. Dozens of people also fainted, some recovered and joined the devotees during the festival.
The district headquarters hospital received over 140 devotees for treatment after they fainted due to the scorching heat. “They are fine now,” a doctor said. At least eight persons were also injured after they fell down while trying to catch a glimpse of Lord Jagannath among a multitude of devotees. The incident occurred when the devotees were pulling Lord Balabhadra’s chariot near Marchikot Chowk, about 300 metres from the Jagannath Temple.
Sources in the district headquarters hospital said eight devotees were hospitalised after they fell down. They were admitted to the medicine ward of the hospital. “All the patients are stable,” Puri additional district medical officer (medical), Pranab Shankar Das said. The Puri police, though, denied reports of a stampede-like situation. “Due to the heavy rush, five of them sustained minor injuries. No stampede broke out,” Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said.