Rath Yatra of Puri 2009 |132nd rath yatra| High security for the devotees

Rath Yatra of Puri  is the 132nd ‘rath yatra’ of Lord Jagannath begins today in Jamalpur area with high security arrangements the chief minister Gujarat Narendra Modi has talken keen interest for the yatra given work to the  people for cleaning of road from where the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balram and their sister Shubhadra pass. They were thousands of devotees present for they occassion  for the journey about 14 kilometer long.The yatra will begins wiyh 18 decorated elephants, 98 decorated trucks apart from three big decorated chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balram and Subhadra, which will be pulled by 1,000 devotees.The main chariots are closely followed by colourfully adorned elephants, trucks, motor vehicles, pilgrims on foot, acrobats and gymnasts.

Story of Rath Yatra

Rath Yatra is world famous for the crowd that it attracts. Puri being the abode of these three deities, the place plays host to devotees, tourists and about one million pilgrims from across India and abroad. Many artists and artisans are engaged in building these three chariots, weaving its fabric covers that dress up the chariots, and painting them in the right shades and motifs to give them the best possible looks.

Fourteen tailors are engaged in stitching up the covers that require almost 1,200 meters of cloth. Orissa’s government-run textile mill usually supply the cloth needed to decorate the chariots. However, other Bombay-based Century Mills also donate cloth for the Rath Yatra.

How the Festival is Celebrated

The festival begins with the Ratha Prathistha or invoking ceremony in the morning, but the Ratha Tana or chariot pulling is the most exciting part of the festival, which begins in the late afternoon when the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhdra start rolling. Each of these carriages have different specifications: The chariot of Lord Jagannath is called Nandighosa, has 18 wheels and is 23 cubits high; the chariot of Balabhadra, called Taladhvaja has 16 wheels and is 22 cubits high; Devadalana, the chariot of Subhadra has 14 wheels and is 21 cubits high.

Each year these wooden chariots are constructed anew in accordance with religious specifications. The idols of these three deities are also made of wood and they are religiously replaced by new ones every after 12 years. After a nine-day sojourn of the deities at the country temple amidst festivities, the divine summer vacation gets over and the three return to the city temple of Lord Jagannath.

Muslims join in Rath Yatra fervour

Some 300 Muslims are expected to take part in the pious procession.The festivals we celebrate are not Hindu or Muslim festivals, they are all Indian festival. A number of Muslims have been celebrating Hindu festivals like Diwali and Dussehra every year.

Security arrangements in place for Rath Yatra

A large number of Quick Response Team (QRT) personnel armed with sophisticated weaponry will be a new security feature this year.A total of 20 companies of Central security forces like CRPF, RAF, 24 companies of BSF and 82 companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) will be pressed into service on the day of the Yatra across the state.

Besides, policemen from the less sensitive neighbouring districts will be deployed along the procession route in the sensitive in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Ahmedabad rural, Anand, Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Bharuch, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Banaskantha and Patan districts.

How to reach

Arrive -Bhubaneswar / Puri ( 65 km / 02 hrs)

Upon arrival at the Bhubaneswar Airport, you will be met by representative of Toshali Tours and Travels and driven to Puri.

Puri -Bhubaneshwar (65 km / 02 Hrs)