Thousands throng Puri Bahuda Yatra

July 9, 2003

IANS

BHUBANESWAR: Hundreds of thousands of people thonged Orissa's temple

city of Puri on Wednesday to witness the 'Bahuda Yatra', or the

homecoming festival of Lord Jagannath, officials said.

The famous chariot festival, or 'Rath Yatra', at the Jagannath temple

began July 1. On that day, devotees towed the chariots from Puri's

main temple to the Gundicha temple. The homecoming festival of Lord

Jagannath began on Wednesday.

Officials estimated about 500,000 devotees attended the festival.

The ceremonial movements or 'Pahandi Bije' of the idols, a ritual

performed as part of the Bahuda Yatra, started nearly two hours ahead

of the scheduled time of 12 noon, a district official said.

Thousands of devotees tow the chariots of the deities -- Lord

Jagannath's Nandighosh, Balabhadra's Taladhwaja and Devi Subhadra's

Darpa Dalana -- with gaiety amidst the beating of drums and sacred

incantations on Bahuda Yatra.

The dieties will remain in their chariots in front of the main temple

for the next two days.

On Thursday, the deities will be offered 'Adharapana' or a sweet

scented drink made of candy, cheese and banana, before being dressed

in gold to mark their valedictory victorious expedition. This ritual

is known as the 'Suna Besha'.

The following day, the deities will return to the temple with the

victory trumpet leading the procession. The idols of Balabhadra,

Subhadra and lord Jagannath are taken to the sanctum sanctorum of the

main temple.

The Rath Yatra festival is held in the Hindu lunar month of Asadha,

which falls in June-July. Thousands of Hindus flock to Puri to watch

the procession, which they believe absolves them of sin.

This year's celebrations took place amidst tight security. The Coast

Guard and the state police stepped up patrols along the coastal city.

Metal detectors were installed at the doors of the Jagannath temple

and a large number of policemen were deployed to prevent trouble.

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