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The historic Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced on Tuesday in this pilgrim town without the usual sea of devotees and amid tight security in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, less than 24 hours after the Supreme Court modified its earlier order to clear the decks for the annual ritual. In order to prevent any congregation, a curfew-like shutdown has been imposed across Puri district from 9 pm on Monday till 2 pm on Wednesday, DGP Abhay said. A number of customary rituals like 'Mangla Arati' and 'Mailam' were held before the presiding deities — Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra — set out from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. (PTI Photo)
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Puri: Chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath before a procession towards the Gundicha temple during the Rath Yatra festival, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in Puri. (PTI Photo)
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Descending from the 'Ratna Sinhasana', the bejeweled throne, the three deities were taken out of the temple down the 22 steps known as 'Baisi Pahacha' through the Lion's Gate in an elaborate royal ritual called 'Pahandi'. (PTI Photo)
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In a rhythmic style, the deities moved forward step by step amid blowing of conch shells and ringing of bells. (PTI Photo)
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At first Sudarshana, the celestial wheel of Krishna-Vishnu, was taken out and placed in the chariot of Devi Subhadra followed by Lord Balabhadra, Subhadra and finally Lord Jagannath. (PTI Photo)
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Ready to carry the deities for their annual nine-day sojourn to the Gundicha temple, nearly three km away, the three wooden chariots waited outside draped in layers of red, black, green and yellow. (PTI Photo)
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The 45-feet high 'Nandighosh', the chariot of Lord Jagannath, stood with 16 huge wooden wheels, while that of Lord Balabhadra's 'Taladhawaja' is 44-feet high with 14 wheels. Devi Subhadra's 'Darpadalan' is 43-feet high with 12 wheels. (PTI Photo)
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Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb performed the special 'Chhera Panhara' ritual with a golden broom ahead of the pulling of the chariots. (Reuters Photo)
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Over 50 platoons of police force (one platoon has 30 personnel) have been deployed and CCTVs installed at various locations as part of the security arrangement for the nine-day festival, officials said, adding, all entry points to Puri were sealed. (PTI Photo)
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Surat: A priest garlands the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra on the occasion of the Rath Yatra festival at Jagannath Temple in Surat. (PTI Photo)
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Priests and police personnel, who were part of the chariot pulling ritual, underwent mandatory COVID-19 testing on Monday night and only those whose reports came out negative were allowed to participate in the festival. (Reuters Photo)
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Nadia: Devotees participate in Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra at Santipur in Nadia. (PTI Photo)
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Ahmedabad: Head priest of Lord Jagannath temple Dilipdasji Maharaj along with devotees pulls the chariot of Lord Jagannath during the Annual Ratha Yatra, in Ahmedabad. (PTI Photo)
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Disallowed to physically participate in the grand festival, lakhs of devotees got a chance to witness the Rath Yatra live on television. (PTI Photo)
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The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the Rath Yatra after taking note of the Odisha government's assurance that it "can be held in a limited way without public attendance". (Reuters Photo)
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