Seven servitors injured as Lord Balabhadra’s idol falls during post-Rath Yatra ceremony in Odisha’s Puri

Rath Yatra news: Seven servitors sustained injuries when the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on them during a post-Rath Yatra ceremony in Odisha's Puri. The incident occurred as the three idols were being transported from the chariots to the Adapa Mandap of the Gundicha temple on Tuesday evening.

The chariots of the sibling deities, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, reached the Gundicha temple on Monday, with which the first leg of the Rath Yatra celebrations in Odisha's Puri concluded.

Thousands of people pulled the chariots, while lakhs of devotees gathered on the roadside to watch the procession on 'Badadanda' amid heat and humidity.

The 'yatra' began on Sunday evening, but halted a few metres later due to sunset. It resumed the 2.5 km journey from the 12th-century shrine to the Gundicha temple around 9.30 am on Monday and concluded at 2.35 pm.

The three majestic chariots will remain outside the Gundicha temple on Grand Road. The deities were taken inside the temple on Tuesday in a ceremonial procession. The deities will remain at this temple for a week.

"The chariots have reached their destination. We have put cordons around the three chariots and are regulating the crowd. Adequate traffic arrangements have been made for smooth flow of vehicles," said DGP Arun Sarangi, who also participated in pulling the chariots.

Rath Yatra is a two-day affair this time, after 53 years, due to celestial arrangements.

In a departure from tradition, some of the rituals, including 'Nabajouban Darshan' and ‘Netra Utsav’, were held on Sunday. These rituals are generally held ahead of the Rath Yatra.

'Nabajouban Darshan' means the youthful appearance of deities, who were behind the doors for 15 days in a ritual called 'Anasara' (quarantine), held after 'Snana Purnima'.

Prior to 'Nabajouban Darshan', the priests performed a special ritual called 'Netra Utsav' in which the eyeballs of the deities are painted afresh.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place with the deployment of 180 platoons (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) of security personnel, Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra said.

Artificial intelligence-based CCTV cameras have been installed at 'Badadanda', the venue of the festival, and other strategic locations in the pilgrim town, police said.

(With agency inputs)