Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): A grand Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra will be taken out from the 351-year-old Shri Jagannath Swami Ji Temple in Tamrhai locality of Chhatarpur on Thursday.
The 9-day religious festival will begin with Vedic rituals at 5 pm and continue till July 24.
The Rath Yatra will pass through major routes of the city and reach the Old Tehsil area, where the deities will stay from July 17 to July 19.
The festival is being organised by the Shri Jagannath Swami Ji Temple Reconstruction Committee and the Rath Yatra Committee.
According to Akhilesh Pauranik, a member of the temple priest family, special preparations have been made this year to give the procession a grand look.
The yatra will feature religious tableaux, participation of women groups, bands, musical instruments and devotional performances.
A large idol of Lord Hanuman prepared by the Lal Kadakka Ramleela Committee will be one of the main attractions.
During their stay at the Old Tehsil area, devotees will participate in Sundarkand recitation, religious dance programmes and a Khatu Shyam bhajan evening.
On July 20, a palanquin carrying Goddess Janaki will arrive to take the deities forward, after which the Rath Yatra will move to the Kendya Ji Temple near Govardhan Talkies.
The deities will stay there for two days and return to the main Jagannath Temple on July 22.
The festival will conclude on July 23 and 24 with uninterrupted Ramcharitmanas recitation, havan, prayers, peace rituals, distribution of prasad and a grand community feast.
The organisers have appealed to devotees to participate in the Rath Yatra with their families and contribute towards the reconstruction work of the historic temple.
