By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: 47th Rath Yatra Festival was celebrated at the Jagannath Temple in Hauz Khas Village of New Delhi amidst massive fanfare and spiritual fervour. The entire temple compound was elegantly decorated with colourful curtains, papers and lights befitting to the grand occasion. Commencing from the wee hours of the day all the religious rituals have been performed before the Deities in a solemn atmosphere.
At around 1.15 p.m. in the afternoon the Four Deities were taken in Dhadi Pahandi procession to the colourfully decked up chariot stationed at the Grand Road in front of the temple. The entire atmosphere got reverberated with the recitals of hymns, roaring of slogans like Haribol and Jai Jagannath, sounding of Huluhuli, blowing of conch and playing of musical instruments such as Ghanta, Kartala, Mardala, Jhanja and Mrudanga by the devotees.
Unusual interest, unexpected enthusiasm and unprecedented excitements were witnessed among the 1 lakh strong Odia and non Odia devotees gathered here alongwith their family and relatives from Delhi and National Capital region to take part in the August Ceremony. The Temple Management Committee Neelachala Seva Sangha under the stewardship of Secretary Ravindra Nath Pradhan did elaborate arrangements to maintain discipline and decorum during the occasion.
