A rath yatra in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Like Puri, rath yatra was also celebrated with pomp and grandeur here in the Millennium City.

A large number of devotees took part in the pulling of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra at Dolmundai and Chandni Chowk where the festival is celebrated in a grand manner.

The rituals began early in the morning and the deities were taken out in a ceremonial procession, known as pahandi bije, from the main temple at Chandni Chowk. The traditional naga medha and ghoda nacha of Puri were the centre of attraction of this year’s rath yatra here.

“All the rituals were performed following tradition and on scheduled time. The first chariot of Lord Balabhadra was pulled by devotees around 2pm,” said secretary of Chandni Chowk Rath Yatra Management Committee Bhikari Das.

According to Das, the Chandni Chowk Jagannath temple was established in 1996 and since 2000, rath yatra has been celebrated with much enthusiasm.

All the chariots of the three deities were pulled up to the Gundicha temple via Astashambu Square, Trinath Temple, Mangalasahi Chowk, Kafla Phandi Chowk and Sati Choura Chowk.

The specialty of the Chandini Chowk rath yatra is that the chariot of Goddess Subhadra is pulled by the women devotees. Similarly, Goddess Laxmi is taken out in a silver palanquin on the occasion of hera panchami, which is another attraction of the Chandini Chowk rath yatra, Das added.

A large number of devotees also lined up to pull the chariots at Dolmundai, where the festival has been celebrated since ages.

Apart from being one of the oldest cities, Cuttack is also known for its communal harmony. Here, be it Holi, Diwali, Eid or rath yatra, people of every community celebrate the festivals with much enthusiasm.

“Rath yatra is a festival of faith and it fills the heart of millions of devotees with joy to be a part of this grand festival,” said Swayam Mishra, a devotee.

Elaborate security arrangements were also made for the festival. Apart from this, special arrangements were made for vehicular movements keeping in view the rush of devotees on the occasion. Chandni Chowk and Dolmundai were declared “no-vehicle zones” and vehicular movement on Haripur and Pithapur roads converging at Dolmundai was also regulated.