Puri: Hundreds of thousands of people Sunday morning braved heavy rains and thronged Puri, Odisha’s holy town, to witness a ritual associated with the car festival of Jagannath Temple.
The temple on the Puri beach conducts Bahuda Yatra, or the return car festival of deities — Jagannath, Balabhadra, Sudarshan and Devi Subhadra.
Bahuda Yatra is the journey of the three chariots of the deities to Sri Jagannath Temple from Sri Gundicha Temple. The deities were on a nine-day sojourn at Gundicha temple.
The deities were taken to the chariots after holding a ceremonial procession called “pahandi” by the temple servitors from the Gundicha temple.
Puri Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb solemnized sweeping of chariots (Chhera Pahanra) in the afternoon. The devotees then started pulling the colorfully decorated chariots on the 2.5 km grand road at around 4 p.m.
Police had made elaborate security arrangements for procession.
Meanwhile, one person died due to suffocation while he was busy in ‘Naam Sankirtan’ on the grand road. Puri hospital sources confirmed he was a cardiac patient.
The return of the deities follows the same rituals as performed during the Ratha Yatra.
The deities will remain in their respective chariots parked at Singhdwar (Lion’s gate) in front of the Jagannath temple after the Bahuda Yatra concludes.
On Monday, there will be Sunabessha, golden attire of the deities, on the chariots itself.