Cuttack: A 16-ft-high chariot of the Cuttack Urban Police District turned out to be the centre of attraction here today.

The men in khaki observed rath yatra at the Beleswar temple at Police Reserve lines here for the second time in a row.
 “We have started the tradition of rath yatra to provide a scope to the families of the police department to enjoy the festival with the residents of the city,” said temple secretary Sudhansu Sekhar Das.

Das further said that the rath yatra was observed in a symbolic manner as most of the police personnel were busy discharging their duties to ensure law and order and manage traffic today.

The police personnel and their families will pull the chariot today only after completion of their official duties.

The Beleswar temple inside the police reserve lines in Cuttack was established during the Bihar-Odisha administration in 1837.

The rath yatra in Cuttack city witnessed a unique blend of tradition and modernity as many youngsters were seen pulling chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra with much enthusiasm at various locations across the city today.

Subhankar Sahu (29) was amazed to see the co-operation and brotherhood that forms the essence of social fabric in Cuttack on the occasion of rath yatra.

“We live in Bangalore. It is for the first time that our family has taken part in the rath yatra at Dolamundai,” said Sahu.

The rath yatra at Dolamundai temple, which is one of the biggest such celebrations in the city, had started with a single rath tradition in 1962. However, the tradition of three chariots was introduced after construction of the permanent temple in 1982.

The Cuttack district administration and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation have made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the rath yatra at Dolamundai, Chandni Chowk and various other places in the city.

According to tradition, the three deities of Chandni Chowk temple were taken to Gundicha temple at the Kafla outpost on a nine-day sojourn.

Like previous two years, the deities were taken to a temporary structure this year as well as the main Gundicha temple, which was allegedly constructed illegally, was demolished in 2013.

Text by Vikash Sharma, Picture by Badrika Nath Das