Jagannath Rath Yatra: Lakhs of Devotees Gather in Ahmedabad, Puri

The devotees pull colourfully decorated chariots to mark the occasion.

The annual rath yatra celebration began across the country on Saturday.

(Photo: AP)

The 141st rath yatra of Lord Jagannath began on the morning of 14 July in Ahmedabad, Gujarat amid tight security as lakhs of devotees flocked to the 18 km route to catch a glimpse of the deities.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel performed 'Pahind Vidhi' – a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for the chariots using a golden broom.

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra, embark on the yatra from the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in the Jamalpur area in Ahmedabad.

In Ahmedabad, the procession is guarded under the strict watch of over 20,200 personnel drawn from the city police, Home Guards, the State Reserve Police (SRP) and the para military forces.

Besides the three chariots, the yatra procession comprises of 18 decorated elephants, 101 trucks with tableaux, members of 30 religious groups and 18 singing troupes.

The procession will pass through the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas like Jamalpur, Kalupur, Shahpur and Dariyapur.

The chariots pass through communally sensitive areas in Ahmedabad. 

It is a popular belief that, anyone who gets to pull the cart in the procession, washes away all the sins they may have committed in their previous births.

Devotees Gather for the Oldest Rath Yatra in Puri

Meanwhile, millions of devotees descended at Odisha’s Puri to celebrate the oldest rath yatra festival in the world. On the occasion, the devotees pull three colourfully decorated chariots of the three deities Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra.

The chariots en route to the Gundicha Temple which is situated at a distance of 2 km from the Puri temple.

The devotees hold their resilience despite heavy rainfall in Puri.

The raths (chariots) are approximately 45 feet tall and are manually pulled by the devotees.

(With inputs from PTI)