Devotees Celebrate 9-Day Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha

Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra: Lakhs of people gathered in Puri to glimpse Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in Bada Danda (Grand Road) as they traveled from their home: the Jagannath temple of the 12th century to the Shree Gundicha temple.
PURI:
A sea of devotees gathered in the coastal city of Puri in Odisha for the nine-day annual Jagannath Rath Yatra that began today. Lakh of people gathered in Puri to glimpse Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in Bada Danda (Great Route) as they traveled from their home: the temple of Jagannath from the 12th century to the temple of Shree Gundicha, home of his aunt.
The deities will travel to the temple of Gundicha in three giant wooden wagons: Nandighosa (Lord Jagannath), Taladhwaja (Balabhadra) and Darpadalan (Subhadra), to be attracted by the assembled devotees.
The rituals associated with the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra began early in the morning. Adorned with tahias (giant floral wreaths), the three deities together with Lord Sudarsan were taken from the sanctum sanctorum between beats of cymbals, drums and gongs in a procession called Pahandia to their respective cars parked in front of the temple.
After the deities were placed in their respective wagons, Puri Gajapati Divyasingh Dev performed Chhera Panhara on the wagons. Puri Gajapati performed the ritual of sweeping the cars with a golden broom, a symbolic rite that shows that everyone is equal before the Lord.
According to the rituals, three garlands of consent of the three deities were placed in the three large cars, officially allowing the pull of the cars.
The three cars are seen as temples that have been decorated with small idols, diyas and garlands. The cars were taken from Ratha Khala (car building site) and then parked outside the door of Leon for yatra rituals.
They saw several people celebrating the festival playing drums, trumpets and singing devotional songs. There are traditional dances and performances every year that make this procession a very vibrant event.
The first car that arrived at the door of Leon was Nandighosa, followed by Devadala by Devi Subhadra and, finally, Taladhwaja, by Lord Balabhadra, among thousands of devotees who have already begun to invade the city of pilgrims before the mega festival.
Devotees from all over the world were present to show their presence on the auspicious day.
Datyaroka Swami Tapasi, one of the devotees of Croatia, Europe, who frequently visits the Shree Jagannath temple, said it was the first time he had witnessed such a festival.
"I have visited the Shree Jagannath Temple many times, but this is my first experience in attending this festival." Every year, for some reason, I cannot plan a trip to this place, especially during this festival, but this time I made sure that I will visit and ask for blessings from the Lord, I will appreciate my first visit to this auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra throughout my life. "
Another devotee, Mangala from Italy, said: "I am a little excited thinking that I am among the lucky ones who could be part of the celebrations and also for the first time, I am really surprised to see the decorations and the huge cars that are simply amazing."
The festival is not only about the Rath Yatra, but also about the security that has been delayed, making the celebrations successful. Odisha police and the state government have made extensive arrangements for the festival to be carried out smoothly.
The car festival ends nine days later with Bahuda Yatra or the return trip of the deities to the main temple. Although only the Hindus are allowed to enter the temple on other days, people of all religions participate in the procession of three kilometers of car pulling.
When Lord Jagannath, the God of the Universe, left his abode to give darshan to the devotees, the gods of the rain also received blessings giving them a respite from the intense humidity.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Odisha Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wished the people the beginning of the Rath Yatra.
By: Preeti Narula
Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/fani-hit-puri-regains-glory-to-flag-off-9-day-rath-yatra-today/articleshow/70066720.cms