Chariots of sibling deities reach Gundicha Temple
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Puri: The sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — arrived at their birthplace in Gundicha Temple here on their chariots by 1.10pm on Saturday, after they had stopped at various points along the 3-km Grand Road on Friday due to reported crowd control difficulties.
The deities, who granted darshan to devotees atop the chariots near Saradha Bali throughout Saturday, will be taken into the Gundicha Temple's sanctum sanctorum on Sunday evening in the traditional Pahandi procession.
On Friday evening, thousands of devotees gathered near Lord Jagannath's Nandighosh chariot, raising stampede concerns. Police spent about two hours trying to clear the path, leading the devotees to move Lord Jagannath's chariot nominally at 7.45 pm before the ceremony was postponed to Saturday.
Both opposition parties and devotees criticised the crowd management arrangements.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said Rath Yatra and the chariot pulling were "peaceful and incident-free". "I extend my appreciation to servitors, district and police administration for conducting Rath Yatra in an incident-free and disciplined manner. Lakhs of people participated on the festival's second day and pulled the chariots," he said.
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Odisha police said they achieved their 'zero casualty' goal during the festival. "Under the guidance of the chief minister, we successfully facilitated the arrival of the three chariots at Saradha Bali (in front of Gundicha Temple). Hard work, crowd management, traffic control and provision of emergency services by our personnel ensured peace and order during Rath Yatra," Odisha police wrote on X.
The sibling deities will remain at Gundicha Temple for six days before beginning their return journey, known as Bahuda Yatra (return car festival) on July 5.
Gundicha Temple underwent beautification work before welcoming the deities. The enhancements include stone-cladding of the outer boundary wall, landscaping and illumination arrangements, enhancing the shrine's visual appeal for devotees.
Gundicha Temple, known as the garden residence of the deities due to its numerous trees, remains unoccupied except during Rath Yatra when they stay for around a week. Throughout the Rath Yatra festival, Gundicha Temple operates as Jagannath Temple, conducting about 25 daily rituals.
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