Page 2 - Jagannath Rath Yatra

Jagannath temple forms panel to probe falling of idol during Rath Yatra

Puri's Jagannath temple has formed a three-member panel to probe the falling of Lord Balabhadra idol on some servitors while it was being taken from the chariot to Gundicha temple as part of the Rath Yatra festival, an official said. The committee has expressed concern over the incident during the 'Pahandi' ritual on Tuesday night and also held a detailed discussion on the incident, said V V Yadav, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri. The three-member panel consisting of an additional district magistrate (ADM), SJTA administrator (development), and a DSP rank police officer will investigate the matter and submit a report within 10 days after completion of 'Niladri Bije' (return of Lord Jagannath and his siblings to their temple), he said. The committee will examine the available video footage and see whether designated servitors were there or not along with other aspects that led to such an incident, Yadav told reporters. The chief administra

At least two dead and over 130 injured during Rath Yatra in Odisha

At least two persons died and over 130 were injured in two different incidents during Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Odisha, officials said on Monday. A resident of Bolangir district died allegedly due to suffocation in a stampede-like situation on Sunday during the Rath Yatra in Puri, a health official said. "When we put him in the ambulance, his pulse was running. We took him to the hospital and gave him CPR. However, doctors declared him brought dead," said Sushant Kumar Patnaik, assistant commandant of St John ambulance service. According to sources, the devotee fainted on Grand Road while pulling the chariot of Lord Balabhadra. He was immediately rushed to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital, where the doctor declared him brought. Expressing grief over his death, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. He also instructed officials concerned to ensure the best available medical care for the injured ...

Prez Murmu spends time at beach in Puri during her four-day Odisha visit

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a four-day visit to Odisha, spent some time at a sea beach in Puri on Monday morning. She witnessed the annual Rath Yatra in the coastal pilgrim town on Sunday. Later, she penned her thoughts about her experience of being in close commune with nature. "There are places that bring us in closer touch with the essence of life and remind us that we are part of nature. Mountains, forests, rivers and seashores appeal to something deep within us. As I walked along the seashore today, I felt a communion with the surroundings the gentle wind, the roar of the waves, and the immense expanse of water. It was a meditative experience," Murmu posted on X. She said it brought her a profound inner peace that she had also felt when she had a darshan of Lord Jagannath on Sunday. Stating that she was not alone in having such an experience, Murmu said, "All of us can feel that way when we encounter something that is far larger than us, that sustains us and that mak

CM Majhi mourns devotee's death during Rath Yatra, announces ex gratia

Chief Minister Majhi announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased who died during chariot pulling in Puri

Jagannath Rath Yatra commences in Ahmedabad; Shah, CM Patel offer prayers

The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath rolled out early Sunday morning in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city where a large number of devotees flocked the procession route to pay obeisance to the deity. The raths (chariots) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra are pulled by Khalashi community members as per the age-old tradition. The Rath Yatra is taken out on the Ashadhi Beej (second day of Hindu Ashadh month) every year. Union Home Minister Amit Shah performed the 'mangla aarti' and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed 'pahind vidhi', the ritual of cleaning the way using a golden broom, as the chariots rolled out from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area. A senior police official earlier said more than 22,000 security personnel will guard the event and some balloon-mounted cameras will also be deployed to keep a watch on the people's movement. As many as 4,500 personnel have been deployed to walk with the procession along the entire 16

Odisha Police to use AI for traffic, crowd management during Rath Yatra

The Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot festival, is believed to be as old as the Jagannath Temple in Puri. This year, Lord Jagannath Yatra will take place on July 7

Puri to celebrate 2-day 'Rath Yatra' after 53 yrs, Prez Murmu to be present

The seaside pilgrim town Puri is all set for smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Yatra festival which will be a two-day affair from Sunday in 53 years. Along with lakhs of devotees, President Droupadi Murmu is also scheduled to witness the Rath Yatra on Sunday. The state government has made special arrangements for her visit. Officials said that the Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival which usually is organized in a single day. Some celestial arrangements have made it a two-day event which was last held for two days in 1971. In a departure from tradition, some of the rituals related to the festival involving three sibling deities - Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra - will also be held in a single day on Sunday. The chariots have been parked in front of the Lion's Gate of the Jagannath temple from where they would be taken to Gundicha temple where the Raths will stay for a week. The chariots will be pul

Govt forms panel to oversee reopening of Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple

The Odisha government has formed a fresh high-level committee to supervise the reopening of Ratna Bhandar of Puri's Jagannath temple for repair and inventory of valuables stored inside the treasury. Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, in a press conference on Thursday night, said that the panel has been formed in accordance with the direction of the Orissa High Court in this regard. In March this year, the previous BJD government had formed a 12-member committee led by retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Arijit Pasayat, to supervise the inventory of jewellery and other valuables stored in the Ratna Bhandar. The BJP government has dissolved the Justice Pasayat-led panel and formed the fresh committee. "A high-level committee is hereby reconstituted, under the chairmanship of Justice Biswanath Rath, to supervise the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee in carrying out the inventorisation of valuables including jewelleries stored in the Ratna Bhandar," a ...

Puri firecracker explosion: 2 more succumb to burns, toll mounts to 11

The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha's Puri mounted to 11 after two of the injured people died, a senior official said on Sunday. Nineteen people are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Altogether 30 people were injured in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath's 'Chandan Yatra', a ritual, on the night of May 29. Two more persons died in the tragedy in Puri. The total death toll increased to 11. Presently, 19 patients are under medical treatment in different hospitals, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said in a statement. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra met family members of the deceased on Saturday evening. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The Puri collector has taken steps for the payment of ex-gratia,

Puri fire incident: Toll mounts to four; 26 others undergoing treatment

The death toll in the firecracker explosion in Odisha's Puri mounted to four on Friday after another person succumbed to injuries, a senior official said. Three persons, including a minor, had died and 33 others were injured after a stockpile of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival in Puri on Wednesday evening. Another injured person has died in hospital, while 26 others were undergoing treatment, a statement issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an administrative-level inquiry into the incident, and announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. The Collector, Puri has already taken steps for payment of Rs 4 lakh each towards ex-gratia assistance to the next of kin of 4 deceased persons, the SRC statement said. An additional chief secretary-level officer of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu, who is also the special relief ...

15 injured as firecrackers explode during Lord Jagannath's festival in Puri

Fifteen people received burn injuries after a heap of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival in Odisha's Puri on Wednesday night, police said. Hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of Narendra Pushkarinee, a waterbody, to witness the rituals when the accident happened, they said. A group of devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers. Suddenly, a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion, they added. The burning crackers then hit the people gathered at the spot, and some of them, even jumped into the waterbody to save themselves, police said. The injured persons were admitted to the district hospital, and the conditions of four of them were critical, a doctor said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and directed officials concerned to ensure proper treatment of the injured. He said the cost of the treatment would be borne by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Odisha's Jagannath temple to open its doors at 1am; details inside

The district collector Samarth Verma said that it was decided that rituals of Odisha's Jagannath temple will be completed on time on Sunday so that the doors are closed at 11 pm and reopens at 1am

12-day Rath Yatra in Odisha concludes as deities return to Srimandir

The main aspect of the Niladri Bije ritual is the heavenly love and affection between Lord Jagannath and His wife Goddess Laxmi

Rath Yatra: Lord Jagannath, his siblings ascend chariots following rituals

Idols of Lord Jagannath and his siblings were placed on their respective chariots on Tuesday, following spectacular ceremonial Pahandi rituals

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023 begins in Odisha's Puri, PM extends greetings

The Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023 begins today in Odisha and Ahmedabad. The Rath Yatra will commence on June 20 at 10:04 pm and will end on June 21 at 7:09 pm.

Ahead of Rath Yatra, Puri police prohibits drones near Jagannath Temple

Ahead of Lord Jagannath's annual Ratha Jatra on June 20, Puri police has banned flying drones near the 12th century shrine, an official said on Monday. The restriction will be in force till July 1, the official said, adding legal action will be taken against defaulters. Unregulated drone use by inexperienced people poses a risk to the safety of devotees. We had earlier initiated legal action against a few for violating the rules, a senior official of Puri police said. The advisory was issued keeping in view the safety and security of Srimandir, Sri Gundicha temple, chariots of deities and devotees. Since Sri Jagannath Temple is declared as a Red Zone as per provisions of The Drone Rules 2021, no one is allowed to fly the gadgets over the temple premises, the advisory said, adding that no operator should fly a drone without a valid UIN (unique identification number) issued by the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation). The order said drone operators will be responsible for any .

Jagannath Rath Yatra begins amid heavy security arrangements in Udaipur

The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra began in Udaipur on Friday amid heavy security arrangements, three days after a tailor was brutally murdered in the city triggering communal tensions. Special permission was given by the district administration to take out the procession as a curfew was clamped in seven police station areas on Tuesday night following the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal. Thousands of people attended the procession, which is expected to take several hours to cover its 7-km-long route. Around 3,000 policemen have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order. ADG Dinesh M N, who is camping in Udaipur, said the deployment of policemen for the yatra this year is three times higher than the previous occasions. "We hope that the yatra goes well. Senior officials have been deployed on key points. Volunteers of the organisers are also working in close coordination with police," he said. The annual yatra is being organised after a gap of two years as it could not be held

Jagannath Rath Yatra begins in Ahmedabad; lakhs of devotees flock city

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed the 'Pahind Vidhi' - a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for the chariots using a golden broom before the start of the Rath Yatra

Famous Rath Yatra festival in Odisha's Puri to be celebrated today

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha

Hundreds of thousands of people in Puri as countdown begins for Rath Yatra

As the countdown for the much-awaited Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins, thousands of devotees from across the country have started thronging this pilgrim town