Rath Yatra 2024: In Odisha, the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan is being held today in the holy town of Puri. The Grand Trunk Road of Puri where the three chariots of the Lords will be rolled has become a sea of devotees.
President Droupadi Murmu has arrived at Puri to join the annual festival where lakhs of devotees from different parts of the world have congregated to pull the chariots scheduled at 5 this evening and have a holy darshan of the Lords. The chariots are positioned in front of the Lion’s Gate of the Sri Jagannath temple and are ready to be taken to the Sri Gundicha temple, where they will remain for a week.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has made all arrangements to ensure the festival proceeds smoothly and also for the President’s visit. A crowd of about 10 to 15 lakh is expected at the festival venue. 180 platoons of security personnel have been deployed to look after law and order and manage the crowds during the festival.
Artificial Intelligence-based CCTV cameras have also been installed. A buffer zone has been planned for the President, while there’s going to be a VIP zone for the Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and several other Union Ministers and other dignitaries. A two-day public holiday has been declared in Odisha by the state government for the Rath Yatra
