The rituals of the upcoming Rath Yatra, which falls on July 7, will be performed in accordance with the rituals conducted during the festival in 1971. It was decided in the Chhatisha Nijog meeting held on Monday.
As per the timetable fixed in the Chhatisha Nijog meeting, on July 7, ‘Mangala Aarati’ will be performed at 2 AM and then the other rituals will be performed. The consecration of chariots will be held at 11 AM. Then, the ‘pahandi’ ritual will start at 1.10 PM which will complete at 2.30 PM. After Gajapatai Maharaja Dibyasingha Deba’s ‘chhera panhara’ ritual at 4 PM, the ‘charamala phita’ will be held at 4.30 PM. Then the chariot pulling will begin at 5 PM.
Every year, the ‘Agyan Mala’ is taken from Lord Jagannath. But this year, there is a deviation.
“In 1971, the ‘Agyan Mala’ was taken from ‘Patti Dian’. The same will be repeated this year,” said Ramkrushna Das Mohapatra, Secretary, Daitapati Nijog.
Also Read: Is 2024 Rath Yatra going to be a one-day or two-day affair?
“Since the ‘Nabajoubana Darshana’ and ‘Rath Yatra’ are falling on the same day, arrangements have been made for chariot pulling to be conducted at 5PM,” said Gourahari Pradhan, member of Chhatisha Nijog.
“We have decided the timetable of different rituals performed on Rath Yatra day. We are trying to make this year’s festival peaceful and give devotees a better experience,” said Vir Vikram Yadav, chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).