Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024: President Droupadi Murmu to mark the beginning of Odisha’s annual festival in Puri today

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024: In Odisha's Puri, the unique two-day Jagannath Rath Yatra is slated to kick off on Sunday, July 7. According to reports, President Droupadi Murmu is set to attend the celebrations of the annual festival.

The Rath Yatra for Lord Jagannath is a one-day event that attracts lakhs of devotees. As per astrology, the auspicious tithi begins on July 7 and concludes on July 8, spanning two days this year, which is a rare occurrence that was last seen in 1971. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi declared a two-day public holiday in the state on the occasion of the Rath Yatra.

President Murmu hails from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Hence, the newly elected state government has put in place special arrangements. To maintain law and order, 180 platoons (one platoon comprises 30 personnel) of security forces from both the state and central governments have been deployed, Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Pinak Mishra informed PTI.

A buffer zone has been reserved for the President amid special security measures, in addition to a VIP zone for the Odisha governor, chief minister, Union ministers, and other dignitaries.

“With the cooperation from all stakeholders, all the rituals are going on smoothly. With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, all other rituals will also be conducted according to schedule,” news agency PTI quoted Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain as saying.

Moreover, a green corridor has been prepared to escort sick people from the crowd to the hospital promptly. Additional Director General of Police Sanjay Kumar further informed that Artificial Intelligence-based CCTV cameras have been installed at Badadanda, the festival venue, and other key locations in the town.

Additional Director General of Police Dayal Gangwar said, “This is the first time, as a pilot project, we are trying to use AI-based CCTV coverage where all those CCTV points which we have around 40 points where we have placed CCTV cameras," reported ANI. Besides this, a drone system is also being used to identify blind spots and jam areas.

Celebrations

On Sunday afternoon, devotees will pull the chariots parked in front of the Lion's Gate of the Jagannath temple.

These chariots will be taken to the Gundicha temple and will remain there for a week. In addition to this, several rituals involving the three sibling deities—Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra—will be performed on the day.

(With agency inputs)