Sea of humanity in Puri, chariots to roll again today

Time of India

13 hours ago

Puri: As hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged Puri to pull the chariots during Rath Yatra on Friday, organisers decided to suspend the journey to Gundicha Temple after it rolled for sometime.
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Temple authorities said the journey will resume on Saturday morning, bringing cheer to the faces of devotees, who said they will get another chance to pull the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on their annual journey to their birthplace.
The arrangements had been nearly foolproof, and it showed in the smooth conduct of rituals right from the morning. The 'Pahandi', which had caused much consternation last year, took place smoothly as the deities were transported to the chariots one by one, as chants of 'Jai Jagannath' filled the air.
But organisers could not gauge the immense love and devotion that people have for the sibling deities, whose outpouring was evident on the Grand Road.
"This year's celebration is expected to surpass previous attendance records. We anticipate a 15% increase from last year's turnout of 10-12 lakh pilgrims. The festival's growing appeal was evident in the diverse crowd, representing devotees from across the globe," Puri district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said.
As per schedule, Lord Balabhadra's chariot began moving at 4.10 pm, followed by Devi Subhadra's, around 4.45 pm. However, Lord Jagannath's chariot remained stationary till 7.45 pm, when officials moved it symbolically for a few metres before concluding the day's proceedings.
Temple administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee attributed the delay to 'Lord Jagannath's wish', while law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan put it down to the unprecedented rush of devotees.
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"Police tried to decongest the chariot cordon area. Due to paucity of time, the chariot pulling was suspended for the day and it will resume on Saturday. Devotees will get another opportunity to pull the chariots on Saturday morning around 9 am," Harichandan said.
Harichandan noted that such delays had occurred in the past. "As per tradition, all chariots did begin their journey on the Grand Road, despite not reaching Gundicha temple," the minister said.
Many devotees, including governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, waited till 7.45 pm to witness the movement of Lord Jagannath's chariot.
"A number of devotees like me had kept a fast to witness Rath Yatra. But we were disappointed with the administration's crowd management plan. We had planned to return to Rourkela in the night itself. Now, we are forced to extend our stay for another day," said Saswat Panigrahy, a devotee.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty blamed the delay on faulty crowd management. "The Rath Yatra should have been properly planned and executed meticulously. However, it was found that the administration was only interested in photo opportunities. The crowd management was bad and there was complete chaos," Mohanty alleged.
Reacting to the criticism, the law minister said, "There was no mismanagement, nor any crowd control failure.
Rath Yatra's first day was peaceful and incident-free. This is not the first time that the chariot pulling ceremony was delayed. Chariot pulling went on for two days in the past as well."
But this did little to diminish the spirit and enthusiasm of devotees. The Grand Road resonated with passionate cheers and chants of 'Haribol' and 'Jai Jagannath', creating an atmosphere of divine ecstasy.
"Witnessing Lord Jagannath's emergence from the temple onto the chariot was an overwhelmingly spiritual moment. Tears of joy rolled down my eyes," said Subhadra Devi, an Iskcon devotee from the US.