By Our Correspondent
BENGALURU/BHUBANESWAR: The Annual Rath Yatra Festival was celebrated at Agara Temple in Bengaluru by Shree Jagannath Temple Trust with much fanfare and Festive fervour. Commencing from the wee hours of the day, the religious rituals like Mangala Arati, Abakash, Mailam, worshipping of Sun, praying Gatekeepers and Sahanamela were performed by priests in a solemn and pious atmosphere.
This year Unusual enthusiasms and unprecedented excitements were marked among the devotees gathered during the grand occasion. Around 60,000 visitors descended at the Festival site from the Metropolis and nearby localities to take part in the holy Mega Event.
The Dhadi Pahandi of all four Deities were started around 12.15 p.m. in afternoon. Lord Sudarshan, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath were taken in a procession from the Anasara room to the 28 ft. high elegantly and aesthetically decorated chariot stationed in the Grand Road in front of the Temple. Noted IT Entrepreneur Sanjay Kumar Rout did the traditional job of sweeping in front of the Chariot called Cherrapahanra. Around 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon the pulling of the chariot started with the playing of Ghanta, Kartala, Mrudanga, Jhanja and chanting of Jai Jagannath slogans by the servitors and spectators.
The colourful chariot carrying Four Deities on Board was pulled till 1 KM distance to Gundicha Temple and reached there at around 6.30 p.m. The scenes of long lining up of devotees in both sides of the Car Festival route to have an auspicious glimpse of the Lord of the Universe were just memorable and mesmerising. The distinguished Guests present during the Ceremony include MLA Satish Kumar Reddy, Sunil Kumar Mishra and Braja Kishore Pradhan. A special Souvenir entitled “Kathamruta” Published to mark the 25 years of the establishment of Agara Temple, was released by the Guests during the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra.
The entire arrangements of the Festival were conducted smoothly by the Trustees and Members of Temple Management Committee like Nihar Samantara, Dr. Pratap Pani, Kamakhya Panda, Hara Prasad Mohapatra, Justice J.P.Udgata, Manoj Patra, N.R.B.Pattnaik, Dr. Sitikantha Sadangi, Nanda Kishore Jena, Punyasloka Khuntia, Chakradhar Swain, Manoj Mohapatra and Prakash Samantara.
