Puri : Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri will commence on June 27, and preparations are underway. The ceremony will attract a large crowd, making traffic management a key issue. Additional Director General (ADG) Traffic, Dayal Gangwar, talked about the preparation for the traffic control and said, "We are making 21 parking spots. At five places, we are making arrangements for a 'holding area', which accommodates people during heavy crowd. The parking spots are mainly made at 3 major places."
Technology is also being used to provide timely information. Gagwar said, "We will use apps this time, too...The people will receive more facilities." Three gigantic chariots of the Holy Trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra is created for the annual car festival in Puri at the Puri Jagannath Temple.
During the festival, three deities - Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra - are drawn by devotees in three massive wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple, where they reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath temple.
Earlier, a multi-agency mock drill was conducted at Dharamshala in front of Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri to assess preparedness and coordination for any emergency. Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Agarwal said that a multi-agency mock drill was conducted near the Shri Jagannath Temple to evaluate the readiness and coordination of security forces in handling emergencies. He further added that 11 agencies participated in the anti-terror intervention exercise.
On Wednesday, June 11, Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, held the sacred bathing ritual on the occasion of Snana Purnima in Puri. The three deities were ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water. This ritual marks a significant lead-up to the grand Rath Yatra.
The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is one of the most prominent Hindu festivals in Puri, Odisha. This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. The three chariots are built anew every year ahead of the annual chariot festival.