Jagannath Rath gets a smooth ride in Ahmedabad
The 131st Jagannath Rath Yatra passed through the streets of Ahmedabad city peacefully amid tight security arrangements on Friday. The annual procession started from the temple of Lord Jagannath at Jamalpur around 7 am and concluded around 9 pm.
The Yatra was preceded by the Mangala Arati at the temple in the early hours, which was attended by thousands of citizens of Ahmedabad. Chief Minister Narendra Modi performed the ritual of ‘Pahind’ before flagging off the procession.
The procession also included the chariots of Lord Jagannath’s sister Subhadra and brother Balram.
The 15-km procession route was divided into two parts. In the first part, the procession passed through Jamalpur Darwaja, Astodia Chakla, Raipur Chakla, Khadia Cross Roads, Kalupur Circle before concluding at Saraspur,supposedly the maternal side of Lord Jagannath.
The procession was marked by 16 elephants, 98 decorated trucks, 30 akhadas, 18 bhajan mandalis and three band parties along with thousands of devotees. The elephants of the Jagannath Temple led the procession followed by the trucks, which highlighted various cultural, religious and contemporary issues ranging from mythology, health and even the Patan gangrape case.
While members of the city-based akhadas showed their physical prowess and skills, the bhajan mandalis were more dominated by senior men and women who played various musical instruments while singing songs in praise of the Lord.
At the AMC office near Khamasa, the procession was welcomed by a number of politicians like the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil, Mayor Kanaji Thakor and Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt.
After taking a break at Saraspur, where devotees were served lunch by the locals, the procession began its journey back to the temple. It passed through areas like Kalupur, Prem Darwaja, Jordan Road, Delhi Darwaja, Shahpur Darwaja, Shahpur Chakla, Rangeela Chowky, R C High School, Delhi Chakla, Pankor Naka, Manek Chowk and Khamasa.
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