Jagannath Rath Yatra starts in Ahmedabad; PM greets people
What's the story
The 141st Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced this morning in Gujarat's Ahmedabad amid tight security as lakhs of devotees flocked to the 18km route to catch a glimpse of the deity. The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra, embarked on the yatra from the 400- year-old Jagannath Temple in the Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad. Here's more about it.
Blessings
Amit Shah, Gujarat CM, and Deputy CM performed rituals
Before the annual Rath Yatra started, BJP President Amit Shah performed "mangla aarti" (the auspicious ritual to pay obeisance to Lord) of the deities in the temple in the early hours. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel performed "Pahind Vidhi", a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for chariots using a golden broom. PM Modi also greeted people on the occasion.
Twitter Post
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet
Greetings on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 14, 2018
With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, may our country scale new heights of growth. May every Indian be happy and prosperous.
Jai Jagannath! pic.twitter.com/1Ifrxueaiu
Security
Tight security deployed in the city ahead of Rath Yatra
Besides the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra, and sister Subhadra, the Rath Yatra procession comprised 18 decorated elephants, 101 trucks with tableaux, members of 30 religious groups and 18 singing troupes. Over 20,200 personnel drawn from the police, Home Guards, State Reserve Police, and paramilitary forces were deployed at strategic locations along the 18km-long yatra route to prevent any untoward incident.