By Our Correspondent
ANGUL/BHUBANESWAR: The Bahuda Yatra ceremony of Shree Lord Jagannath and Siblings passed off peacefully at Devabhoomi Jindal Nagar in Odisha’s Angul on Wednesday. The air in Jindal Nagar and its surrounding villages got repleted with an overwhelming sense of devotion as thousands of devotees united to celebrate the Bahuda Yatra festival at Devbhoomi.
This joyous occasion marked the return journey of the revered deities – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath – from the Gundicha Temple to the sacred Lord Jagannath Temple in Devbhoomi, Jindal Nagar, Angul.
Mr Naveen Jindal, the Prime Servitor of the temple and Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), led the way alongside his esteemed family members, including Smt Savitri Jindal, Chairperson Emeritus of OP Jindal Group; Smt Shallu Jindal, Chairperson of JSP Foundation, Smt Aruna Oswal, Chairperson of Oswal Group of Industries , Venkatesh Jindal, Yashasvini Jindal, and others. They wholeheartedly joined the Bahuda Yatra, participating in the sacred ‘Pahandi Vidhi’ and performing the Chherapanhara, a symbolic ritual representing the purification of the majestic chariots before their return to the main temple of Lord Jagannath.
Following the rituals strictly in line with the traditions observed at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, the auspicious day commenced at 5 am with Manima Daka & Dwar Phita (Door Opening), Bhitar Shodh neeti, and proceeded with Mangal Aarati, Mailam, Tadap Lagi, Abakash Neeti, and other divine rituals.
In the early morning hours, Smt. Shallu Jindal performed the Mangal Aarati and conducted the puja vidhi at the Gundicha temple under the guidance of the Chief-Priest of the temple, Sri. Srikant Ji.
The Bahuda Yatra witnessed an overwhelming participation from the local community and people from every corner of the district, all enthusiastically pulling the chariots with profound devotion and spiritual fervor.
Similar to the Sri Gundicha Yatra, the live telecast of the Bahuda Yatra was broadcasted through various social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, enabling devotees from around the world to witness and partake in this sacred festival.
The Deities will continue to grace their chariots for two more days, celebrating Harisayan Ekadashi and Sunabesha on Thursday, followed by Adharpana on Friday and the finally the much awaited Neeladri Bije , back to Ratna Singhashan on Saturday.
On this auspicious occasion, JSP has also organized the live telecast of Sunabesha, which will be streamed on the 29th of June from 4.00 P.M onwards. Devotees can access the live stream through the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/q2QxBIcwu2s.
In Puri , JSP Foundation continued its Free Hot cooked meal services for the thousands of devotees which started on 19th June . JSP Foundation has so far served 9.4 lakh cooked meals from its live kitchen at Puri till the last report received.
