After a long gap of two years, the Jagannath Temple administration in the state of Odisha has opened the doors of the Jagannath temple for the devotees who are all geared up to be a part of the world-famous Rath Yatra. For the past two years, the district of Puri in Odisha has been hosting devotee-less Rath Yatras due to the spread of the coronavirus disease.
Imposing the strict COVID protocols, the Administrator of Puri Jagannath Temple in the past two years had allowed only those servitors who tested negative to participate in pulling the chariots and had stopped the devotees from being a part of the procession. However, this year as the threat of the pandemic has reduced, the coordination meeting which was held under the chairmanship of State Minister Pratap Jena for Rath Yatra-2022 allowed the devotees to participate in the Rath Yatra.
#WATCH | The Jagannath Rath Yatra begins in Puri, Odisha with much fanfare. The participation of devotees in the Rath Yatra has been allowed this time after a gap of two years following the COVID pandemic. pic.twitter.com/oODjwSLma0
— ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2022
According to the reports, the administration has undertaken proper measures to ensure the safe health and sanitation of the participants of the Rath Yatra. The administration has constituted various teams to take care of crowd management, health services, road and transport, drain and sanitation, and parking facilities. Also, it has deployed the police force, ODRAF, NDRF, and other special forces as part of a master plan to ensure proper traffic arrangement, cordon arrangement, and crowd management.
Given the still existing threat of COVID, Energy Minister Divya Shankar Mishra and Law and Order ADG RK Sharma who attended the coordination meeting for Rath Yatra-2022 have also decided to appoint 15 doctors at the Puri District Head Quarter Hospital as a preventive measure.
The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is held every year at Puri in the state of Odisha and Gujarat. It is the annual festival that is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya, the second day in the bright fortnight of the Ashadha month. Lord Jagannath during this period, along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra ride on the Rath to visit the sacred place of his first manifestation, the Gundicha Temple. The temple is at a distance of 4 kilometers from Sri Jagannath Temple where the deities spend seven days.
The name of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath’s chariot is Nandighosh, Subhadra’s chariot is Devadalan and that of Balabhadra is Taladhwaja. Thousands of devotees from across the world join this annual festival and pull the chariots from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple.
Odisha | Three newly constructed Chariots were placed in front of Jagannath Temple in Puri. A huge crowd is expected to join the rath yatra as the festival is now being conducted after a gap of 2 years. All 3 chariots were constructed within two months and completed yesterday. pic.twitter.com/CYANLIQOrJ
— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2022
Similarly, the Jagannath Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad is being held in a full-fledged manner after a gap of two years due to COVID. The Rath Yatra is scheduled from Jamalpur Darwaza starting around 7 am to Saraspur after an aarti by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and will return back to Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur by 6 pm.
Over 25,000 personnel of Gujarat Police and other security agencies have been deployed along the 18 KMs long Yatra route to ensure the smooth flow of the procession. Alternative traffic arrangements have been made for the public to ensure there is no traffic congestion on other routes due to the Yatra.
Return of the Amarnath Yatra
Similarly, a number of measures have been taken for the devotees at the Amarnath Yatra. The Yatra, which kicked off on June 30th, saw thousands of devotees participating in the procession after a gap of three years. Reports mention that around 7,000 pilgrims visited Barfani Baba on June 30, and around 700 reached the base camp of Panchtarni in over 150 sorties by helicopter.
#WATCH Pahalgam, J&K | ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ slogans hailed as pilgrims commence Amarnath Yatra from today pic.twitter.com/PLKQdpIqUL
— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2022
Talking exclusively to Mirror Now, one of the devotees from the base camp said, “By the grace of Lord Shiva, we all will be safe and complete the pilgrimage. We are all excited and grateful to have been able to take part in the Amarnath Yatra this year.” Another pilgrim expressed happiness to have been able to participate in the procession this year.
Amid the COVID spread, the Amarnath Yatra was canceled for the past two years and the devotees were asked to see the online ‘aarti’ session that was being facilitated by the temple authorities. However, this year, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, BSF, and the Army have been deployed on the 48 km long Yatra route to ensure the safety of the devotees. The ground report by the Mirror now revealed that devotees from all walks of life have participated in the Yatra this year.
Sri Amarnath Ji Yatra for the year officially commences tomorrow & the first convoy of pilgrims reached Baltal just a while ago and was welcomed by @crpf_srinagar
— Srinagar Sector CRPF 🇮🇳 (@crpf_srinagar) June 29, 2022
Yatra on Baltal Axis is being secured by Srinagar Sector @crpfindia with @KashmirPolice #SANJY #AmarnathYatra pic.twitter.com/LSmqwsVWI5
Amarnath Yatra is organized every year by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board during the summer months. The 43-day yatra to the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva, located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas is filled with faith, thrill, and joy for the devotees. The divine feeling that always rules over the minds of devotees helps them realize ‘Moksha’ when they reach the cave and perform the prayer before the Shivling.
