Rath Yatra: Chariot pulling continues amid chants of ‘Jay Jagannath’

The chariots of the temple deities of Shree Jagannath stand in front of the temple before starting their journey to the place of their birth on the occasion of the nine-day Rath Yatra festival in Puri. | Photo credit: Biswaranjan Rout

The chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings returned to the Gundicha temple in Orissa’s Puri on Friday (July 17, 2026), as part of the annual Rath Yatra festival that began the day before, officials said.

None of the three chariots reached the temple, about 2.6 km from the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple, due to the delay in the ‘Pahandi’ rituals on Thursday (July 16, 2026), they said. The deities remained on the chariots overnight. Amid chants of ‘Jay Jagannath’, thousands of devotees started pulling the chariots of the trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath this morning.

In a video message, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, considered to be the first servant of Lord Jagannath and the sibling deities, said, “There is nothing wrong in pulling a chariot the day after a scheduled Rath Yatra. Many times the chariots could not reach the destination as planned and were pulled the next day in the dark.”

Lord Balabhadra’s ‘Taladhwaja’ car stopped at Market Chhak after covering about 700 meters on Grand Road. Similarly, Devi Subhadra’s ‘Darpadalana’ chariot stopped at Marichikote Chhak after covering about 400 metres, while Lord Jagannath Nandighosh’s chariot was dragged just a few yards and remained near Singhadwar (Lion Gate) of the main temple, officials said.

While the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) estimated that 10-12 lakh devotees participated in the Rath Yatra, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) estimated the attendance at 8-9 lakh. “There was absolutely no delay in the rituals, but the ‘Pahandi’ was delayed by more than one hour. The idol of Lord Jagannath did not move at the main gate for about 40 minutes due to which the ‘Pahandi’ was delayed,” SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhee told reporters.

Mr. Padhee said the sibling deities will remain on the chariots on Friday (July 17, 2026) night, while the entry procession to the Gundicha temple, believed to be the birthplace of the sibling deities, will be held on Saturday (July 18, 2026), he added. Despite adverse weather conditions, all the rituals were completed on time, but the movement of Lord Jagannath’s idol was delayed by 40 minutes, affecting the chariot pulling schedule, another temple administration official said.

Regarding the absence of the traditional ‘Tahika’ (decorated flower crown) during Lord Jagannath’s ‘Pahandi’ ritual, Mr. Padhee said it was removed as it had become wet and heavy due to rain. The annual Rath Yatra is held on the second day of the Odia month of ‘Ashadha Shukla Tithi’ and is the only occasion when the sibling deities are removed from the ‘Ratna Sinhasana’, the bejeweled throne of the temple.

The pulling of the chariots began on Thursday (July 16, 2026) after the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ (chariot sweeping) ceremony by Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and the visit of Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, a temple official said.

Amid chants of ‘Hari Bol’, beating of cymbals and blowing of trumpets and conch shells, a large number of devotees witnessed the festival when the rain subsided. The heavy rain failed to dampen the spirits of devotees who were seen dancing and celebrating on the Grand Road.

Special arrangements were made to divert rainwater from the Grand Path and facilitate the procession as devotees pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra from the 12th century shrine to the Gundicha temple.

Published – 17 Jul 2026 13:58 IST