The State Government has made elaborate arrangements for smooth and timely conduct of the annual Rath Jatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on Tuesday. Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena along with senior officers are camping here for last three days.
All roads lead to the pilgrim town. Thousands of devotees have started thronging pilgrim town Puri to witness the nine-day long Rath Jatra beginning on Tuesday.
Lord Jagannath and his two siblings – elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra – are ready to give darshan to the public in Raths and visit Gundicha Temple.
The three majestic chariots now stand tall in front of the Singha Dwar facing East towards Gundicha temple. They have been kept ready and will be pulled by lakhs of devotees tomorrow afternoon.
Lord Balabhadra would lead the chariot procession riding Taladhwaja. It will be followed by Devi Subhadra in Darpadalana. Lord Jagannath would go riding Nandighosa in the end.
The rituals will begin with Mangala Arati at 6 AM, followed by Mailam and Vesha, Rosha Homa and Surya Puja at 7.10 AM. Then ‘Gopal Bhog’ and ‘Khichidi Bhog’ will be offered between 8 to 9 AM.
‘Pahandi’ is scheduled to start by 9.30 am while Chherapahanra of the chariots by Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb would be performed by 3.30 PM. After fixing wooden horses to the chariots, the pulling is scheduled to start in the afternoon from 4 PM.
The three majestic chariots are almost ready and will be brought to the Singha Dwar and parked facing East towards Gundicha temple. The chariots will be pulled by lakhs of devotees on Tuesday.
Though 9.30 AM has been set for Pahandi Bije, the ritual is likely to start early as all rituals are being conducted ahead of the scheduled time, said Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Ranjan Kumar Das.
Tight security arrangements have been made in and around Puri town for the festival. The pilgrim town has been divided into 14 zones and 29 sectors.
About 180 platoons of police personnel have been deployed for the conduct of the yatra.
For the first time Coast Guard helicopters will patrol the beach and fast patrol vehicles deployed closeby. Interceptor boats will be stationed at Paradip, ready for any contingency, till July 2, said additional DGP, Law and Order, Sanjay Kumar.
The Railways will install face recognising cameras on the railway platforms to screen the crowd of suspicious people. A total of 125 special trains will ply to Puri during the festival, he said.
A large number of CCTV cameras assisted by drones’ cameras connected to a number of control stations will function during the Rath Yatra.
Under a special mobility plan an advisory on vehicular movement to Puri has been issued.
Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur said all inter-state tourist buses and local tourist buses will stop and park at Malatipatpur bus stand.
Other daily passenger-carrying buses will be allowed up to Talabania temporary bus stand via Malatipatapur railway over bridge, Toshali Sands, Grid Station Chhak and Bhudan Chhaka.
vehicles on the Bhubaneswar-Puri route and Konark will be allowed to park near grid substation and Talabania area while vehicles coming from Brahmagiri parked in Florence India Garden parking space.
Puri town shuttle buses/ auto rickshaw will be allowed from Talabania to Zilla School Chhaka.
Two-wheelers will avail parking at Jagannath Ballav, Masanichandi, Matitota parking, Nilachala Ashok and Blue Flag beach.
All Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) like cars and SUVs will avail parking facilities at the parking places at indoor stadium, helipad, Sanskrit University parking, ID College Parking, Nalifield and Yatrika. They will be diverted as per availability of space in parking places accordingly.
For smooth darshan of the Lords by devotees, some shuttle services have been implemented from Talabania to Zilla School Chhaka and From Malatipatapur to Atharanala.
Besides, the areas from Atharanala chhaka to Hospital Chhaka and from Hospital Chhaka to Subash Bose Crossing have been announced as no vehicle zones.
The regulation of vehicular traffic will be imposed from June 19 to June 21, 2023. The same traffic regulation will be again applied from June 28 to June 29.