Devi Subhadra’s ‘Darpadalan’ stopped near Badasankha, while Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nandighosh’ halted near Balagandi Square. Both the chariots will be pulled between 8-8:30 AM tomorrow.
Earlier, the ‘Pahandi Bije’ of Lord Sudarshan, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath started at around 8:40 AM ahead of the schedule and completed at around 12:35 PM. Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati climbed the chariots along with six disciples and paid obeisance to the deities. He did not attend the Rath Yatra last year due to some controversy.
Puri King Gajapati Dibya Singh Deb performed ‘Chhera Panhara’ in front of all chariots. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Governor SC Jamir, Jharkhnd Governor Draupadi Murmu, Union Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan and many other state Ministers. MPs, MLAs and Bureaucrats were among the key people, who paid their respect to the deities.
According to reports, over 800 people fainted because of asphyxia and dehydration. However, they were provided with immediate care and assistance. By and large, the Nabakalebara Rath Yatra could be termed as successful although there has been a disputed over the exact number of devotees in Puri today. Some say 10-15 lakh people attended the event, while some others put the number at 6-8 lakh only.