Lakhs of Devotees throng Puri on Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Jatra

ONI Bureau: Over 10-12 lakh devotees throng Puri on the auspicious occasion of Ratha Jatra, to pay obesience to Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. Braving rains and inclement weather, people from Odisha and various parts of the world are celebrating this festival with religious fervor and gaitey.

The Pahandi rituals of Shree Sudarshan, Lord Janannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were held amid religious traditions. Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati paid his respect the deities on their respective Chariots.

Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb did the ceremonial sweeping of chariots (Chhera Pahanra) using the golden broom. Chariot pulling has began at 2.35 PM. Tight security deployment and proper arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth conduct of Ratha Jatra.