July 15th 2024.
Thousands of faithful followers joyfully gathered to participate in the ‘Bahuda Yatra’, the return car festival of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra. The festival, which took place on Monday, was a magnificent display of devotion and tradition as the devotees pulled the chariots of the sibling deities through the streets.
The scheduled time for the chariot pulling was 4pm, but to the excitement of the devotees, it began ahead of time. The air was filled with the sound of ‘Jai Jagannath’ chants and the beat of cymbals as the devotees eagerly began to pull the chariots. Lord Balabhadra's chariot, named ‘Taladwaja’, was the first to be pulled at 3:25pm, followed by Devi Subhadra's chariot, ‘Devadalan’, at 4pm. Finally, at 4:15pm, the pulling of Lord Jagannath's chariot, ‘Nandighosh’, began.
Before the chariot pulling began, the ‘Gajapati Maharaj’, the titular king of Puri, Divya Singha Deb, performed the ‘cheerapahanra’ ritual. This sacred ritual involved sweeping the three chariots with a golden broom and sprinkling holy water. With this ritual, the deities were ready to embark on their journey back to the Jagannath temple.
The deities had left the Jagannath temple on July 7th for the Rath Yatra and had reached their birthplace, the Gundicha temple, where they stayed for a week. Now, on Monday, they were returning to their original home in the Jagannath temple, a journey known as the ‘Bahuda Yatra’.
In the presence of lakhs of devotees, the trinity was ceremonially taken to their respective chariots from the Gundicha temple. To ensure the safety and order of the festival, 180 platoons of police force and 1,000 officers were deployed. The Additional Director General of Police, Sanjay Kumar, assured that extensive security measures were put in place and the entire temple town was under CCTV surveillance. It was estimated that around five lakh people would be present for the festival.
As night fell, the deities remained seated on their chariots in front of the ‘Singha Dwar’, the Lion's Gate, of the 12th-century shrine. The ‘Sunabesha’ ritual, where the deities are adorned with gold jewelry, will be performed on the chariots on July 16th. The ‘Bahuda Yatra’ was a spectacular event filled with devotion, tradition, and faith, leaving a lasting impression on the hearts of the devotees.
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