Jagannath yatra brings religious fervor in Ahmedabad

The sounds of 'dhols' (drums) and 'manjeeras' (hand cymbals) rent the air amid the spirited chanting of "Jay Ranchhod! Makhanchor" as the colourful procession of Lord Jagannath along with his brother Lord Balrama and sister Goddess Subhadra snaked through the byzantine lanes and bylanes of the walled areas of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Right from the 450-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in the mixed neighbourhoods of Jamalpur area in the early hours, after Union Home Minister Amit Shah performed the traditional "mangal arti" to kick off the procession, that matches its counterpart in Puri in Odisha, there were thousands on the streets.

A glimpse of communal harmony peeped as the rathyatra, in its 142nd edition, crossed the Paanchkuva Darwaja at Raipur in the journey to finally reach Saraspur Temple, cheered by thousands of devotees, waiting for a glance since the dawn.

"Yahyakhan Haidarkhan Pathan as well as all Panchkuva residents heartily welcome the Rathyatra" read a banner hanging from the heritage Paanchkuva Darwaja.

About 460 years ago, this area where now stands the historic Jagannath Temple campus was a thick forest besides the then flowing Sabarmati River in the east and the city limit ended at the Jamalpur Darwaja in the north, which is situated between mixed neighborhoods and Hindus and Muslims join together to lend grandeur and an extempore spirit of communal harmony.

After Shah flagged it off with the "mangala aarti" with his wife Sonal Shah, Mayor Bijal Patel, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel and Minister of State Pradeepsinh Jadeja, Mahant Dilip Das Maharaj, a priest of the Jagannath temple also joined the yatra.

A true taste of Indian tradition was on display in a parade-like procession before the raths arrived, which included 'Malkhamb', award winning Akhada wrestlers and Bhajan-Mandalis'.

What aided the massive police force guarding the rathyatra was an elaborate Israeli optical fiber network, CCTV, kept a hawk's eye, along with a three-way monitoring of the dashboard with the control and command room of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation at Paldi, the State Government at the Circuit House Annexe, which made real-time monitoring of the entire yatra route possible.

A posse of 50,000 policemen were deployed for the purpose, 25,000 walked with the crowds while as many others stood by the footpaths of the entire yatra to avoid any mishaps and maintain safety of the chariot holders as well as the devotees.

In Jagannath Puri, the three idols are taken from Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha temple. These idols are placed in decorative chariots, accompanied by chants and conches, which reverberate everywhere.

On procession day, the holy ritual Chhera Phara is performed by the royal successor of Odisha. Hordes of locals and devotees flock around the temple area.

The three deities are placed in the aunt's place, the Gundicha Temple for a span of 9 days. Later, they are taken back home. The return journey of the three deities is termed as 'Bahuda Yatra'.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra is celebrated by millions of devotees who come from across to participate and seek the blessings of Gods. The yatra is also popularly called Gundicha Yatra, Chariot Festival, Dasavatara and Navadina Yatra.

( With inputs from IANS )