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Key Points

The temple town of Puri is buzzing with preparations for the 2025 Jagannath Rath Yatra starting tomorrow. Authorities have set up 21 parking spots and tech solutions to manage the massive crowds expected. Security forces conducted mock drills to ensure smooth coordination during emergencies. The festival features grand chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra, marking one of Odisha's most revered celebrations.

Key Points: Puri Prepares for 2025 Jagannath Rath Yatra Starting Tomorrow

  • Massive chariots built for Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra
  • 21 parking spots and tech apps for crowd control
  • Multi-agency security drills conducted
  • Snana Purnima bathing ritual precedes the festival
2 min read

Temple town of Puri all set for Jagannath Rath Yatra, 2025, Yatra starts tomorrow

Puri gears up for the grand Jagannath Rath Yatra with traffic plans, security drills, and tech-enabled crowd management for devotees.

"We are making 21 parking spots... The people will receive more facilities. - ADG Traffic Dayal Gangwar"

Puri, June 26

The temple town of Puri is all set to witness the Jagannath Rath Yatra, 2025, that commences tomorrow.

During the festival, devotees draw the grand chariots of the three deities--Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister goddess Subhadra--to Gundicha Temple, where the deities reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath temple.

The Rath Yatra ceremony is expected to attract a large crowd, making traffic management a key issue.

Additional Director General (ADG) Traffic, Dayal Gangwar, talked about the preparation for the traffic control and said, "We are making 21 parking spots. At five places, we are making arrangements for a 'holding area', which accommodates people during heavy crowd. The parking spots are mainly made at 3 major places."

Technology is also being used to provide timely information. Gagwar said, "We will use apps this time, too...The people will receive more facilities."

Three gigantic chariots of the Holy Trinity - Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra is created for the annual car festival in Puri at the Puri Jagannath Temple.

During the festival, three deities - Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra - are drawn by devotees in three massive wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple, where they reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath temple.

Earlier, a multi-agency mock drill was conducted at Dharamshala in front of Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri to assess preparedness and coordination for any emergency.

Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Agarwal said that a multi-agency mock drill was conducted near the Shri Jagannath Temple to evaluate the readiness and coordination of security forces in handling emergencies. He further added that 11 agencies participated in the anti-terror intervention exercise.

On Wednesday, June 11, Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, held the sacred bathing ritual on the occasion of Snana Purnima in Puri. The three deities were ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water. This ritual marks a significant lead-up to the grand Rath Yatra.

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is one of the most prominent Hindu festivals in Puri, Odisha. This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. The three chariots are built anew every year ahead of the annual chariot festival.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the Jagannath Rath Yatra article:
P
Priyanka M.
Jai Jagannath! 🙏 The Rath Yatra is our cultural treasure. Glad to see authorities using technology and proper planning this year. Hope the devotees get smooth darshan without too much crowding. The chariots look magnificent as always!
A
Amit K.
The security preparations seem thorough with mock drills and multiple agencies involved. After recent incidents in other religious places, this level of caution is necessary. Hope the yatra passes peacefully without any untoward incidents.
S
Sangeeta R.
My family has been visiting Puri for Rath Yatra for generations. The devotion during the chariot pulling is unmatched! But I wish the administration would do more about the commercialization around the temple. The spiritual essence is getting diluted.
R
Rajiv P.
Good to see traffic management plans in place. Last year was chaotic with vehicles parked everywhere. The holding areas and dedicated parking spots should help. Hope they enforce rules strictly - bhakti shouldn't mean breaking rules!
M
Meena D.
The craftsmanship of the chariots is amazing! Each year they rebuild these massive structures with such precision. It's a living tradition we must preserve. Would love to see more documentaries about the artisans who make this possible.
K
Karthik S.
While I appreciate the religious significance, the environmental impact concerns me. So much wood used for temporary chariots, plastic waste from pilgrims, water wastage during rituals. Can we modernize some aspects while keeping traditions alive?

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