Devotees Keep Faith Alive as Rain Falls on Puri's Chariot Procession

Bhubaneswar, July 16 — Heavy rain could not quell the enthusiasm of the crowds gathered for Puri's annual Rath Yatra on Thursday. Along the Grand Road, worshippers stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder, chanting "Jai Jagannath" and "Hari Bol" despite the downpour. The globally celebrated festival began before its allotted time, with the divine siblings and ancillary deities escorted from the historic Jagannath Temple to their magnificently adorned chariots. Traditional musical ensembles—gongs, kahali trumpets, and telingi drums—created a divine soundtrack, while priests recited Vedic verses and Odia cultural troupes performed dance rituals for the impending nine‑day Gundicha journey. Although the rites started early, they extended past the planned schedule by more than two hours. After the procession, senior monk Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, together with his disciples, offered prayers to the deities mounted on the chariots. Former ruler Gajapati Maharaja Divyasinh Dev then performed a ceremonial sweep with a gold‑lined broom. City officials, aided by the State Housing and Urban Development Department, rapidly removed water from flood‑prone zones. Security deployment included over 13,000 police personnel, central armed forces, and constant vigilance from the Indian Coast Guard and Navy, with nineteen senior IPS officers overseeing the operation.