The Jagannath Rath Yatra, which commenced on Tuesday, attracted devotees from all over the country who gathered to the temple town of Puri to observe the grand event. Similar processions were also held in various other parts of the country.
In Ahmedabad, the 146th Rath Yatra marked a new beginning for the procession with new chariots being rolled out for the deities after more than five decades. They have been made taller and wider and costed Rs 85,00,000 so that the devotees can take a good look at Lord Jagannath, Balram and Subhadra from afar. The trustee of the temple, Mahendra Jha, stated that the design and the colour scheme of the chariots are inspired by the Puri procession.
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel along with ministers Rushikesh Patel and Jagdish Vishwakarma participated in the evening aarti. As thousands of devotees crowded the route of the yatra to catch a glance of the deity, members of the Muslim community also welcomed the yatra in the city.
Unfortunately, the Yatra was overshadowed by a series of ill-fated incidents. In Puri, a stampede-like situation occurred, leading to the hospitalisation of 14 people. Another incident took place in Ahmedabad, where one person lost his life and five others sustained injuries when a crowded balcony of a house collapsed during the Yatra procession. In addition, in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, two persons died and seven others were injured as lightning strike the chariots while returning from procession. Manipur skipped the annual Yatra because of the current ethnic violence which has claimed more than 100 lives and left thousands of people internally displaced.