Rath Yatra LIVE: Over 500 people hospitalised after 'chaos' during chariot-pulling

Thousands of people pulled the ropes attached with chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on a road from near the 12th-century shrine in Puri towards Shree Gundicha temple, around 2.6 km away, as the main part of Rath Yatra festival began on Friday (June 27).

Amid chanting of “Jai Jagannath” and “Hari Bol”, beating of cymbals and blowing of trumpets and conch shells, the 'Taladwaja' chariot of Lord Balabhadra first started rolling at 4.08 pm. It was followed by Devi Subhadra’s 'Darpadalan' chariot and finally Lord Jagannath’s 'Nandighosh'.

1 million devotees converge

While the devotees were pulling the chariots, the priests surrounded the deities on the chariots as the procession made its way through the Grand Road of this temple town. While thousands of people pulled chariots, lakhs of others also reached the seaside temple town to participate in the festival.

Around 1 million devotees are estimated to have converged on this town for the annual car festival, officials said.

The chariot pulling started after Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb, performed 'Chhera Pahanra' (sweeping of chariots) on all three chariots. Wooden horses of different colours were fitted on three chariots before they were pulled by the devotees.

Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and many other dignitaries were among those who pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra.

Scores witness ‘Pahandi’ ritual

Earlier, the trinity- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath had ascended their respective chariots after over two-hour long ceremonial 'Pahandi' ritual here on Friday.

During 'Pahandi', the three wooden idols were carried to the chariots from the 12th-century Jagannath temple. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Puri MP Sambit Patra, Odisha ministers and many others witnessed the ceremonial ‘Pahandi’, one of the major attractions of Rath Yatra in Puri.

Odissi dancers, folk artists, music players and many other groups drawn from different parts of the state performed before the idols.

The Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, along with selected disciples, visited three chariots after the deities were placed on them.

Unprecedented security

The festival is being held amid unprecedented security arrangements with deployment of around 10,000 personnel of Odisha police, central armed police force, NSG and others.

"We have made all possible arrangements for smooth conduct of Rath Yatra," DGP YB Khurania told reporters, adding that over 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras were installed to keep a watch on the crowd.

ADGP (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said that the arrangements are made in view of some information following the Pahalgam terror attack.

"Several central government agencies are collaborating with Odisha Police, including NSG snipers, Coast Guard drones, and anti-drone systems. Canine teams and Odisha's anti-sabotage units are also engaged in duty here," he said.

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