Bhubaneswar: For the first time ever, the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings began sans devotees at Odisha’s Puri on Tuesday. The fest is being celebrated after the SC nod to organise it in a limited way sans public attendance.
The priests performed the “Mangala Aarti” early in the morning. Amid blowing of conches and beating of cymbals, the ceremonial procession of the deities known as “Pahandi” — carrying the deities on chariots out of the temple — took place.
The deities were taken atop of the three traditionally decked up wooden chariots — Nandighosa (for Jagannath), Taladhwaja (for Balabhadra) and Devadalana (for Subhadra). The chariots will be pulled to Gundicha temple in Puri, 3 km from the main temple. “All are cooperating for the smooth functioning of Rath Yatra as per the SC order. I request all devotees to stay at home and watch the live telecast of the festival,” said Balwant Singh, the Puri collector.
Meanwhile, one of the servitors of Shree Jagannath Temple tested positive for COVID-19 during mandatory testing of priests and police personnel ahead of the annual Rath Yatra on Tuesday.
