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Tag: Lord Jagannath

  • Lord Jagannath rath yatra to be taken out in Ahmedabad on Monday with curfew on route

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: The annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad city, which generally attracts massive crowd, will be taken out amid a curfew on its route on Monday to bar people from taking part in it in view of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

    Apart from no public participation, the 144th rath yatra would be a shorter affair in terms of duration as the authorities plan to conclude it within four to five hours as against the usual time of around 12 hours, although the procession would cover the entire 19-km route as earlier, they said.

    The state administration and temple authorities have made all the arrangements for the rath yatra without public participation and any fanfare.

    Tight security arrangements have been put in place so that the yatra passes off peacefully with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols and guidelines, officials said.

    In view of the pandemic, the state government has made it clear that except for three chariots and two other vehicles, no other vehicle, singing troupes, akhadas, elephants or decorated trucks will be allowed to take part in the procession.

    To stop people from gathering along the route for a glimpse of the deity, a curfew will be imposed on the entire yatra route from early morning till afternoon, they said.

    Traditionally, the procession, led by chariots, starts around 7 am from the 400-year-old temple and returns by 8 pm.

    Before the COVID-19 outbreak last year, lakhs of people used to gather along the route on ‘Ashadhi Beej’ every year to catch a glimpse of the decorated elephants and tableaux moving around in some 100 trucks.

    The procession used to come back to the Lord Jagannath temple after covering a distance of 19 km in about 12 hours, which included an hour-long lunch break at Saraspur.

    This time, the authorities have planned to complete the yatra in four to five hours.

    There will not be any large gathering in Saraspur for the lunch break.

    Since people from other districts and those living in western parts of the city also flock the route to watch the procession, police will regulate the traffic movement on all bridges to stop people from reaching near the route.

    The government has appealed to the people to watch the yatra which will be telecast live on television channels.

    As per the tradition, youths from the Khalasi community pull the chariots.

    This time, only 60 youths, 20 for each of the three chariots, have been given permission to pull the chariots on the route.

    Effectively, no one except those 60 youths along with some priests on each chariot, chief priest Mahant Dilipdasjee and trustees of the temple will take part in this year’s rath yatra.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah would perform the ‘mangla aarti’ at the temple on July 12 morning before the idols of deities are taken out for the yatra.

    Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel will perform Pahind rituals (symbolic cleaning of road before the rath yatra starts).

    The CM visited the temple on Sunday evening to take part in evening aarti of the temple.

    Heavy security deployment has been put in place on the entire route.

    City police commissioner has also banned flying of any drones for a day in Ahmedabad on Monday.

    Last year, only a symbolic rath yatra was organised in the premises of the Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area here after the Gujarat High Court denied permission for the usual public procession due to the pandemic.

  • Odisha invokes Lord Jagannath’s quarantine example to popularise COVID-19 restrictions

    By PTI
    PURI: To convince people to stay indoors and follow quarantine norms for containing the transmissibility of COVID-19, the Odisha government has tried to invoke the Odia religious tradition by highlighting how Lord Jagannath quarantines himself in “Anasar Ghar” (isolation room) before the annual Rath Yatra.

    Home quarantine may be the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe but the practice has been in vogue in Lord Jagannath Temple here since time immemorial.

    “The example of Lord Jagannath’s quarantine is well accepted by the people and keeps them inside the house. The state government has also coined a slogan saying ‘Ghare Rukantu Sustha Ruhantu’ (stay home. Stay healthy),” Odisha governments chief COVID-19 spokesperson Subrato Bagchi said.

    He encouraged people to go for isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, saying “Anasar” (quarantine) was an intrinsic part of the Odia culture and tradition.

    Quarantine means restricting the movement of the afflicted so that the infection does not spread to others.

    According to mythology, Lord Jagannath, and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra developed a fever after they were given a bath with sacred water contained in 108 pitchers on Snan Purnima day.

    Thereafter, the three deities of the 12th-century shrine were taken to ‘Anasar Ghar’ where they underwent treatment and recovered after 14 days.

    This practice is observed for 14 days before the annual Rath Yatra every year.

    “The state government emphasises that if one tests positive for COVID-19, the person must remain in quarantine for at least 14 days.

    Even the master of the universe (Lord Jagannaths name jagat means universe & nath means master) quarantines himself when he falls sick,” Bagchi said.

    Bhaskar Mishra, a researcher in Shree Jagannath culture, said the sibling deities also take ayurvedic medicines to recover from the illness.

    Therefore, the people who suffer from any disease should be administered medicine for speedy recovery instead of leaving it at the mercy of God.

    “There is no such record since when the practice of Lords quarantine, called ‘Anasar’ ritual, is being practiced in the temple.

    But it has been going on for ages, giving a message to the human race to take the illness seriously,” Mitra said.

    Incidentally, the Lords ‘Chaka Bije Niti’, a ritual marking an improvement in the condition of the sibling deities, is being held in the Temple on Sunday on the occasion of Dasami Tithi.

    In this ritual, the deities are placed on three wheels along with Lord Sudarshan and Madhab, said Sarat Mohanty, a servitor-cum researcher in the Jagannath culture and tradition.

    As per the rituals, the deities are offered “Chakata” and “Pana Bhoga” (ORS like prasad to overcome dehydration).

    Mohanty says that during the Lords stay in Anasar (quarantine), some rituals are performed by some selected servitors in the closed room.

    A special oil called phuluri tel is applied to the deities and for the complete recovery of the deities, “Raj Baidyas” (royal doctors) prepare a special herbal medicine.

    This medicine will be offered to the Lords on “Ekadasi Tithi” on Monday.

    After this ritual, the deities are believed to be completely cured, Mohanty said.

    Pratihari Sevaka, a special servitor in the temple, Surya Narayan Gochhikar, said that the ailing deities are offered only fruits and water, mixed with cheese and “Dasamula” (herbal) medicines while Daitapati Sevayats perform secret rituals to cure them.

    He said that the deities completely recover from illness after a two-week-long herbal treatment following which they are ready for the annual Rath Yatra, which falls on July 12 this year.

    When the deities remain in “Anasar Ghar”, the devotees are allowed to have darshan of “Patti Dians”,(representatives of the Lords in patachitra painting).

    Before going out for the Rath Yatra, the deities are given a touch-up and given a fresh look just as a person does after recovering from an illness, Mohanty said.