PURI, ORISSA, July 4, 2011 (Indo-Asian News Service): Tens of thousands flocked to Orissa’s Jagannath Temple in Puri as the annual chariot festival or Rath Yatra began on Sunday.
All the rituals have began almost on scheduled time, Laxmidhar Pujapanda, the public relations officer of Jagannath Temple, said.
The festival marks the journey of three Hindu Deities – Jagannath, brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra from the 12th century Jagannath temple, about 56km from state capital here. They are carried in three splendid wooden chariots, pulled by devotees, to the Gundicha temple, about two kilometres away.
Half a million devotees had reached Puri by 8am, Pujapanda said. “The weather is conducive and we hope by evening, the numbers could swell to more than a million,” he said.
The festival culminates nine days later when the Deities make their way back home to the Jagannath temple in their return journey known as Bahuda Yatra. A glimpse of the Deities on the chariot is considered to be very auspicious.
Thousands of policemen have been deployed to maintain law and order. Closed circuit security cameras have been installed at various places to keep a watch on troublemakers and manage crowds.
At least 56 special trains are running from different parts of Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to meet the extra rush of passengers to Puri during the festival, the Bhubaneswar headquartered East Coast Railway said.