Puri: An estimated 8 to 9 lakh devotees from across Odisha, the country and abroad witnessed the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Chakraraj Sudarshana in Puri on Thursday, as the annual festival was celebrated with immense religious fervour despite persistent rainfall throughout the day.
All the key rituals associated with the festival, including the ceremonial pulling of the three chariots, were completed smoothly as scheduled. Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya Jagadguru Nischalananda Saraswati also visited the chariots and offered prayers.The Odisha government had put in place elaborate multi-layered arrangements involving police, health services, fire services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), transport, municipal administration, public health engineering, energy and other departments to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival.
Authorities maintained round-the-clock monitoring with extensive deployment of security personnel, CCTV surveillance, public announcement systems, traffic regulation, sanitation measures, drinking water facilities, emergency response teams and medical infrastructure to facilitate the safe movement of devotees.
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