Sea of devotees and tourists thronged the temple town of Puri on July 13 for the annual Rath Yatra (chariot festival) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.The ceremonial processions of the deities known as Pahandi (carrying the deities out of the temple to the chariots) started at 8.20 a.m., about an hour before the scheduled time.
The Rath Yatra marks the annual journey of the three deities from the 12th century Jagannath temple in three splendidly decorated wooden chariots, pulled by devotees, to the Gundecha temple, about three kilometres away. By 9 a.m., about four lakh devotees had already reached this temple town. By evening, the numbers could swell to more than a million, temple administration informed the media.
The nine-day chariot festival is held in the Hindu lunar month of Asadha, which falls in June-July. The festival culminates nine days later when the deities make their way back home to the Jagannath temple.
The state government has made elaborate security arrangements with more than 5,000 policemen deployed across the city to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident. More than a dozen closed circuit security cameras have been installed at various places to keep a watch on troublemakers and manage crowds.Bomb detection and disposal squads and fire tender units are also ready to meet emergencies. The coast guard, which has stationed a ship in the Bay of Bengal close to the Puri coast, has also intensified patrolling along the sea route.
Inspite of these arrangements the Rath Yatra festival was marred by a stampede that left a woman dead and four others injured. The mishap occurred during the pulling of the first Rath, that of Lord Balabhadra.
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