Chariots of devotion roll out across Odisha

Rath Yatra was celebrated with religious fervour across Odisha on Thursday, with lakhs of devotees participating in the annual chariot festivals in Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj and Koraput districts.

At Baladevjew Temple at Ichhapur, popularly known as Tulasi Khetra, on the outskirts of Kendrapara town, thousands of devotees braved heavy rain to participate in the Rath Yatra as the state’s second-largest chariot, the 67-foot-tall Brahma Taladhwaja, rolled towards the Gundicha temple, situated around 2-km away amid traditional rituals and tight security. However, the rituals were delayed due to theBaladevjew temple executive officer Balabhadra Patri said the chariot could be pulled only about 150 metre on Thursday due to the rain. “The chariot will reach its destination on Friday,” he added.Servitor Jayanta Tripathy said rituals including Kalasa Pratistha, Ratha Pratistha, Maa Thakurani Puja, Chaka Chhada, Chhera Panhara and Pahandi Bije were performed as per tradition. Unlike the Puri Rath Yatra, the chariot pulling at Baripada is scheduled for Friday, in keeping with the temple’s unique traditions.A distinctive feature of the Sabara Srikhetra Rath Yatra is the performance of Chhera Pahanra ritual by the heads of three villages, each representing one of the deities. Koraput collector Manoj Satyavan Mahajan ceremonially honoured the village heads by presenting them with the traditional Sirpa (ceremonial crown) in recognition of their hereditary role in preserving the temple’s customs.In Malkangiri district collector Prathamesh Arvind Rajeshirke performed the Chhera Pahanra ritual by ceremonially sweeping the chariot and also carried out the Pahandi rituals before officially flagging off the Rath Yatra.Paradip: At least three persons including a 15-year-old boy were injured after the Kalasa (finial) of the chariot reportedly broke and fell on devotees during the Rath Yatra in Paradip on Thursday.

The injured are Josnamayee Mandal (23) of Jagannath Colony in Paradip, Dhaneswar Pradhan (24) of Gad Bishnupur village under Erasama block and the minor. Sources said the chariot was being pulled from the Jagannath Temple at Madhuban when the Kalasa hit an overhanging tree branch along the road. The impact caused the finial to break off and fall on devotees walking behind the

The Rath Yatra at Dharmasala in Jajpur district was marked by a significant departure from tradition this year, with the ceremonial sweeping of the chariot being performed by MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahu instead of Dharmasala IIC. The Rath Yatra in Gadamadhupur was a huge attraction with a woman member of the royal family performing the Chhera Pahanra rituals.

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