KENDRAPARA
Amid frenzied religious fervour, rath yatra was observed in Tulashi Khetra, the abode of Lord Baldevjew, the presiding deity of this coastal district. The chariot marched for about 100 metres symbolically before being brought to halt. It will be fully pulled tomorrow according to the rituals. Unlike Puri Jagannath's chariot journey, rath here is a two-day affair.
Tulashi Khetra's chariot is not only taller that that of the Puri's, but also its circumference and width are larger than that of the temple town's chariot.
JAJPUR
Rath yatra was celebrated at Gadamadhupur, an erstwhile feudatory state in the district, in an exception as a lady performed the ceremonial chhera pahanra (the ceremonial sweeping) of chariots as part of rituals associated with the annual car festival of Lord Jagannath.
The 35-year-old Aparna Dhir Singh Bharadwaj, the scion of the Gadamadhupur royal family, has been performing chhera pahanra and other ceremonial works of the Trinity on the chariot for the past four years, as there is no male member in the Gadamadhupur royal family after death of her father Raja Birabara Krushnaprasad Dhir Singh.
Rath yatra was also celebrated at Chhatia, Sukinda, Jajpur, Ichhapur, Laguan, Patapur, Bahadalapur, Bari, Haripur, Kuakhia and Balarampur in the district.
GANJAM
Ganjam district boasts of 178 Jagannath temples, and rath yatra is held at most of the temples here. The royal families of Athgarh, Khallikote, Sorada, Jarada, Mahuri, Chikiti, Sheragada, Dharakote, Ghumusara and others had built a number of Jagannath temples in various places in the district, and the yatra has been celebrated here since centuries.
In Berhampur town, rath yatra was held in the Jagannath temple at Khaspa Street - which is one of the oldest temples in the city. The temple was built by the Mahuri king more than 300 years ago. At Paralakhemundi in Gajapati, rath was also observed with traditional gaiety. The traditional chhera panhara was performed by the king of Paralakhemundi Gopinath Gajapati, despite ill health.
ROURKELA
The car festival was celebrated across the steel city with much enthusiasm this year. The crowd strength was much more in comparison to the previous year. The festival was held at Sector-III temple, the oldest in the region and also places such as Uditnagar, Basanti Colony, Sector-VI, Bisra, Bondamunda and Hanuman Vatika.
Frenzied devotes gathered at these sites singing bhajans to add to the festive mood. Vigil was in place to keep tabs on mischief-mongers.
SAMBALPUR
Rath yatra was held at the Brahmapura temple, which is one of the oldest Jagannath shrines of this region built between 1594 and 1620.
Of the 25 Jagannath temples in the city, the car festival is observed in 23 temples. Rath is an important occasion for newborn babies as parents take them to the chariots where the child is made to touch the deities. This is an important tradition prevalent in the district and it is popularly known as ratha chhuan.
ANGUL
Rath yatra was celebrated in the industrial city of Angul and Talcher with traditional gaiety and fervour. Angul collector S.R. Jadhav and police superintendent R.P. Uttam Rao performed chhera panhara, while at Talcher the priest of the erstwhile Talcher estate king accomplished the ritual. In Angul, only women pulled the chariot of Goddess Subhadra. Around 10 platoons of CISF personnel were deployed in both Angul and Talcher this year to maintain law and order.
BALASORE
The rath yatra was held at the Banthia Jagannath temple, a prominent shrine in Balasore town, with the active participation of personnel of Town police station. Besides, the festival was also celebrated at the Puruna Jagannath temple and other shrines in the town. Lord Balabhadra's rath is also celebrated at Gud near Soro.
Tomorrow, rath yara will be held at Nilgiri, the ex-princely state, with active participation of the royals.
Additional inputs from Manoj Kar in Kendrapara, Amulya Pati in Jajpur, Sunil Patnaik in berhampur, Rajesh Mohanty in Rourkela, Subrat Mohanty in Sambalpur, BK Rout in Angul and Sibdas Kundu in Balasore
