Rath Yatra News Updates

During the Nabami Sandhya Darshan, devotees will have the last chance of offering prayers to the deities on the Adapa Mandap as the sibling deities will return to their abode the next day. 

Hera Panchami ritual depicts the scene in which Goddess Laxmi gets angry with Lord Jagannath and the way she vents her anger.

However, as per the senior servitors, the incident is quite usual and it often happens during the Rath Yatra festival in Puri.

After savouring communion with beloved devotees from top of their luxurious chariots for two days, the deities of Puri Srimandir were ushered to Gundicha temple on Thursday. The Holy Trinity was escorted to their birthplace called ‘Adapa Mandapa’ in the grand procession called ‘Goti Pahandi’.

As per popular belief, one who takes a morsel of ‘Adapa Abhada’ gets virtues of crores of births.

As Lord Jagannath and His siblings are away in the Gundicha temple for their annual nine-day long sojourn and will stay there for a week, the silver cladding work of the Singha Dwara has begun.

In 'Adapa Mandap Bije' ritual, which is observed a day after Rath Yatra, the deities are taken into the ‘Adapa Mandap’ inside the Gundicha temple. In fact, ‘Adapa Mandap’ is considered the birthplace of Lord Jagannath and His siblings. 

Thousands of devotees started pulling the chariots again today morning and they reached in front of Gundicha temple.

The importance of 'Chhera Panhara' lies in the fact that Puri Gajapati Maharaja, who is considered as the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, sweeps the chariots of the three deities parked on the Grand Road near Srimandir with a golden broom. 

On the Grand Road, some devotees in the get-up of Hindu Gods like Lord Hanuman and Lord Shiva and some Odissi dancers performing in front of chariots are adding colours to the festival. 

Pahandi is of two types-Dhadi Pahandi and Goti Pahandi. 

Taking to Twitter, President Murmu extended her wishes and wrote, “I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen, especially the devotees of Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath, on the occasion of Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath's Rath Yatra. Praying to Lord Shri Jagannath that this great festival of devotion brings happiness, peace and prosperity in everyone's life.”

For the uninitiated, a total of 148 festivals are celebrated in the temple annually. Of them, 12 are yatras, 28 are upa yatras and 108 are festivals. 

Rath Yatra, the annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath and His siblings Goddess Shubhadra and Lord Balabhadra from Srimandir to Gundicha Temple (their aunt's

Though the district administration has made elaborate traffic management and parking plans for the grand event, some people also have expressed their apprehensions about its efficacy.