Annual Lord Jagannath rath yatra commences; Narendra Modi wishes people

Pic courtesy/Twitter/Narendra Modi

The 142nd rath yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced in the city amid tight security on Thursday as lakhs of devotees flocked the 18-km route to catch a glimpse of the deity. Before the procession began, Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Chief Minister performed 'pahind vidhi' - a symbolic ritual of cleaning the path for the chariots using a golden broom. In the early hours, Amit Shah, Union Home Minister took part in 'mangla aarti' of the deities in the temple.

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and his brother Balbhadra, then embarked on the yatra from the 400- year-old Jagannath temple located in Jamalpur area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted people on the occasion. "Best wishes to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath and seek his blessings for the good health, happiness and prosperity of everyone. Jai Jagannath," he tweeted.

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Besides the three huge chariots, the rath yatra procession comprised 100 trucks with tableaux, 19 decorated elephants and members of 30 singing troupes. The yatra is taken out every year on Ashadhi Beej which is the second day of Ashadh month, as per the Hindu calender. The procession will return to the temple around 8.30 pm after passing through the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas like Kalupur, Jamalpur, Shahpur and Dariyapur.

With inputs from PTI

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