Puri: The sacred town of Puri today reverberated with fervent devotion as Lord Jagannath’s ‘Bahuda’ Jatra, or return car festival, commenced with the ceremonial ‘Pahandi’ ritual. The auspicious occasion, marking the Trinity’s journey back to the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple from Shree Gundicha Temple, saw lakhs of devotees thronging the pilgrim town.
The ‘Pahandi’ ritual, the ceremonial procession of the idols from Shree Gundicha Temple to their respective chariots parked at Saradhabali, began earlier than the scheduled 12 noon, starting at 10:30 am. Amidst the joyous sounds of gongs, conches, and cymbals, the divine trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath – were carried one by one to their majestic chariots.
Chakraraj Sudarshan, the wheel weapon of Lord Vishnu, was the first to be brought out and seated on Devi Subhadra’s ‘Darpadalan’ chariot. He was followed by Lord Balabhadra, the elder brother, and then Goddess Subhadra, who was brought to her ‘Darpadalan’ chariot in a special procession known as ‘Sunya Pahandi,’ where she is carried while looking at the sky. Finally, Lord Jagannath was brought to his grand ‘Nandighosh’ chariot.
The chariots, including ‘Taladwaj’ for Lord Balabhadra and ‘Darpadalan’ for Devi Subhadra, will be pulled by devotees for a distance of approximately 2.6 km back to the main shrine.
Prior to the ‘Pahandi,’ customary rituals such as ‘Mangla Arati’ and ‘Mailam’ were meticulously performed before the presiding deities emerged from the sanctum sanctorum.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik extended their greetings to the people on this auspicious occasion. Chief Minister Shri Majhi, in a post on X, wished for everyone’s lives to be filled with happiness, peace, and prosperity by the grace of the Lord.
Following the seating of the deities, the traditional ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual, involving the sweeping of the chariots, is slated to be performed by Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm, ahead of the scheduled 4 pm pulling of the chariots. Officials indicated that this ritual might also be performed earlier than planned.
Security arrangements for this year’s Bahuda Jatra are unprecedented, implemented in the wake of a stampede incident near Gundicha Temple on June 29 that resulted in three fatalities and approximately 50 injuries.
A substantial deployment of 10,000 personnel, including 6,150 from Odisha Police and 800 from CAPFs, is in place to ensure an incident-free festival. Over 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras and drone technology are being utilized for crowd monitoring and to prevent any untoward incidents.
ACS Home, Satyabrat Sahu is camping here to oversee the arrangements. DGP YB Khurania, along with other top police and administrative officers, has been camping in Puri to oversee the arrangements.
Lakhs of devotees had the opportunity for ‘darshan’ of the deities during their week-long stay at the Shree Gundicha Temple, considered the birthplace of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, before today’s grand return journey.