Puri Rath Yatra Begins: Lakhs of Devotees Brave Heavy Rain for Lord Jagannath’s Historic Pahandi Ritual
PHOTO CREDIT :- Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri Official Post on X
PURI, ODISHA — Defying relentless downpours, lakhs of ecstatic devotees gathered in the seaside pilgrim town of Puri on Thursday to witness the spectacular Pahandi ritual, marking the grand commencement of the nine-day annual Rath Yatra. The atmosphere along the iconic Grand Road (Bada Danda) was electric as the deities—Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra—were ceremonially escorted from the 12th-century shrine to their respective majestic chariots. Despite Puri recording a staggering 233 mm of rainfall over the preceding 48 hours, the spiritual fervor remained undampened. Devotees danced, blew conch shells, beat gongs, and chanted “Jai Jagannath” in a powerful display of faith as the deities emerged from their bejewelled throne (Ratna Sinhasana) for this once-a-year public journey to the Shree Gundicha Temple, located 2.6 kilometers away.
The meticulously timed rituals began at 9:00 AM with the ceremonial procession of Chakraraj Sudarshan, the wheel weapon of Lord Vishnu, who was seated on Goddess Subhadra’s Darpadalan chariot. He was closely followed by Lord Balabhadra, who was escorted to his Taladwaja chariot. In a deeply spiritual and unique spectacle known as Sunya Pahandi, servitors carried Goddess Subhadra to her chariot as she seemingly gazed at the heavens. The emotional crescendo was reached when Lord Jagannath—affectionately called Kalia Thakura—was brought out of the temple, prompting tears of devotion and waves of raised hands from the massive crowd, all while Odissi dancers and folk troupes performed vibrant cultural tributes ahead of the deities.
To counter the severe water-logging caused by the monsoon rains, the Odisha state administration, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, remained on high alert with dedicated teams deployed to swiftly drain water from the Grand Road. Chariot pulling was scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM, following the sacred sweeping ritual (Chhera Pahanra) by Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, and a spiritual visit by Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati.
Ensuring a safe experience for the massive gathering, the Odisha Police established a flawless, multi-layered security blanket. Under the supervision of DGP Y B Khurania and 19 IPS officers, nearly 13,000 police personnel and 15 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (including CRPF, BSF, and RAF) guarded strategic points. The security apparatus was further modernized with 473 AI-powered CCTV cameras, drone-jamming technology, and dual command-and-control centers, complemented by a coordinated maritime patrol by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, and Odisha Marine Police to secure the coastline.