Bhubaneswar, July 16 (IANS) The world-famous annual Rath Yatra festival began in the holy coastal town of Puri in Odisha on Thursday with the commencement of the Pahandi Bije ritual of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, ahead of the scheduled time. The holy siblings, along with other deities during the Pahandi Bije ritual, are being escorted out from the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple to their respective decorated chariots in a grand ceremonial procession with the enthralling and divine sound of traditional musical instruments, like ghanta (gong), kahali (trumpet) and telingi baja, etc.The priests, chanting sacred Vedic hymns, and traditional Odissi artists with their enthralling dance performances welcomed the deities on their nine-day sojourn for the Gundicha Temple, believed to be their birthplace.

As per the tradition, the celestial weapon of Lord Krishna, Chakraraj Sudarshan, is first brought and placed on the chariot of Goddess Subhadra, followed by Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and finally Lord Jagannath in ‘Dhadi Pahandi’, in which the deities move simultaneously in a row, one after the other, in close succession.Following the completion of the Pahandi ritual, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, along with his disciples, offers puja to the holy siblings on the chariots. Later, Puri King Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb, the first servitor of the Lord Jagannath, offers prayers to the deities and conducts the ceremonial sweeping of the chariots with a golden broom.After this service offered by the Puri King, the chariots are pulled by devotees to the Gundicha temple, the birthplace and garden house of Lord Jagannath, around 3 km away from the main temple.

Lakhs of devotees on Thursday thronged the holy city of Puri to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra and pull their chariots Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Darpadalana respectively. The devotees filled with pure devotion are chanting the holy names of ‘Jai Jagannath’, ‘Hari Bol’, and dancing in ecstasy.The annual chariot festival is observed on Dwitiya Tithi -- the second day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Ashadha month of the Hindu Almanack -- a time considered spiritually auspicious due to the increasing brightness of the moon.The district administration, police and other departments have made elaborate arrangements in the city to ensure a smooth conduct of the Rath Yatra this year. More than 13,000 police personnel, along with an adequate number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), have been deployed for security arrangements during the festival.The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy will also remain on alert to check any illegal activities through the coastal route. On the other hand, as many as 19 senior IPS officers have been assigned the duty to supervise the overall security arrangements.

/IANS