The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra reached the Gundicha Temple in Puri on Friday, completing the annual Rath Yatra procession after the journey resumed following an overnight halt. The sacred ritual of Adapa Mandapa Bije is scheduled to be performed on Saturday.

The chariot-pulling resumed on Friday after all three chariots were unable to complete the journey to the Gundicha Temple on the first day of the Rath Yatra. Authorities said the procession was halted earlier in view of the large crowds and security considerations.

Chariot Pulling Resumed on Friday

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee said the decision to halt the procession on Thursday was taken to ensure the safety of devotees.

“The chariot-pulling, which started on Thursday, all three chariots could not reach on the first day because the chariots started a bit late. But in view of the security of all the devotees who had gathered, we decided that the chariot pulling would again start on Friday. It is a great incident that lakhs of devotees had already had the darshan of Mahaprabhu on the chariots on the first day,” Padhee said.

“When the chariot pulling resumed, lakhs of devotees had the darshan,” he added.

Security Arrangements in Place

Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania said lakhs of devotees had gathered in Puri for the Rath Yatra and that extensive security arrangements had been made.

He appealed to devotees to follow police advisories and cooperate with the authorities during the festival.

Khurania also advised elderly people, devotees with health conditions and those who may find it difficult to walk to assess their physical fitness before undertaking the pilgrimage.

Earlier, Odisha Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said elaborate security and medical arrangements remained in place as the procession resumed after the overnight halt on the Grand Road.

Adapa Mandapa Bije Scheduled

Ramakrushana Das Mohapatra, a servitor of the Jagannath Temple, said devotees who had been disappointed after the chariots could not reach the Gundicha Temple on the first day were pleased to see the procession completed on Friday.

The ritual of Adapa Mandapa Bije, during which the deities are ceremonially taken into the Gundicha Temple, will be performed on Saturday.

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