Around a million devotees from across the country assembled at Puri on Friday to attend the Jagannath Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra was held in Puri without devotees for the last two years following a Supreme Court directive on likelihood of spread of Covid infection due to large scale crowd.
The famous Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, also known as the Festival of Chariots, is believed to be the oldest and largest chariot procession in the world. It is observed every year as per the Hindu calendar. This year, the festival started on July 1 in Puri, Odisha and will end on July 12.
Apart from Puri, the auspicious Rath Yatra in puri is also observed in various other cities with much pomp and fervour.
The Rath Yatra in Puri is unique for its three Hindu gods who are brought out of their temples in a colourful procession to meet their devotees. This year is special because the first time people will get to participate in the Jagannath Rath Yatra physically after a interval of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In order to manage huge gathering, 180 platoons of police & over 1000 experienced officers have been deployed in the temple town with at least three inspector generals of police working under the supervision of an additional director general of police.
Ten fire pumps have been deployed at Bada Danda to spray water on the devotees in order to beat the heat. Over 50 CCTV cameras have been installed along the main road to monitor the crowd movement from the integrated control room. Read More- Measure to increase oxygen level in body.
About 500 life guards deployed along Puri beach for rescue operations if needed. An ambulance corridor has been created
Significance Of Jagannath Yatra
The Jagannath Yatra in Puri is the only festival whose rituals allow Hindu deities to travel from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple and they stay for a couple of days. In Hindu mythology, goddess , once stationed are not removed from their position.
