Prez Murmu joins lakhs of devotees in Puri Rath Yatra

Puri/Bhubaneswar: With the chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ reverberating in the air, the Trinity-- Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra—were taken out from the 12th century temple to their respective chariots on Sunday afternoon.

Around 15 lakh devotees from across the country thronged the temple town of Puri in Odisha to pull the three wooden chariots carrying Lord Jagannath and his siblings on the main thoroughfare as the historic Rath Yatra began on Sunday.

President Droupadi Murmu, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik paid their obeisance to the deities.

President Murmu pulled the chariot of Lord Balabhadra. This is the first time in the history of the festival that an incumbent President has participated in it.

As the chariots were being pulled, a male devotees died of suffocation near Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra, said Sushanta Patnaik, additional commandant of St John’s Ambulance. The identity of the deceased could not be known. A few other devotees suffered minor injuries when the Nandighosha chariot of Lord Jagannath was being pulled.

The rituals of the three deities began with Mangala Alati and Mailama niti, following which they were carried to their respective chariots by the temple servitors. The pulling of chariots began at 5pm after Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingh Dev swept the chariots road with a golden mop.