Man Died, Several Injured Due To Stampede-like Situation During Rath Yatra In Puri

A man died and several others were injured due to a stampede-like situation during Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday.

The devotee who hails from Balangir district reportedly died of suffocation during pulling of Taladhwaja Chariot in Rath Yatra. He was declared dead at Puri District Headquarters Hospital.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to next kin of deceased who died during chariot pulling in Puri and free treatment for injured.

Thousands of people pulled forward giant chariots from the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri towards Gundicha temple, around 2.5 km away, on Sunday afternoon.

The chariot pulling started around 5.20 pm after Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanada Saraswati visited the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with his disciples and the Puri’s titular king completed the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (chariot sweeping) ritual.

The wooden horses were fitted to the chariots and the servitor pilots guided the devotees to pull the chariots in the right direction.

President Droupadi Murmu performed a ‘parikrama’ of the three chariots and bowed before the deities.

The President, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan symbolically started the mammoth exercise by pulling the ropes connecting the principal Jagannath chariot. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik also had a ‘darshan’ of the sibling deities.

Thousands of people pulled the nearly 45-feet tall wooden chariot of Lord Balabhadra. It will be followed by pulling of chariots of Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath.

Rhythmically beating brass cymbals and hand drums, priests surrounded the gods on the canopied chariots as the procession made its slow way through the main street of the temple town.

The air rented with ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Haribol’ as frenzied devotees tried to get a glimpse of the holy occasion.

Different artiste groups performed ‘kirtans’ (religious songs) and Odissi dance in front of the chariots before the procession started.

Around a million devotees are estimated to have converged on this town for the annual car festival. While most of the devotees were from Odisha and the neighbouring states, many from abroad also joined in what is considered one of the largest religious processions globally.

(With inputs from PTI)