The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath has begun early Sunday morning in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city, where a large number of devotees arrived at the procession route to pay obeisance to the deity.
Members of the Khalashi community pull the chariots, or raths, of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra, and his sister Subhadra, in accordance with an ancient tradition.
Every year, on the second day of the Hindu month of Ashadh, known as Ashadhi Beej, the Rath Yatra is conducted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had performed the mangla aarti, and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed pahind vidhi, the ritual of cleaning the way using a golden broom, as the chariots rolled out from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in the Jamalpur area.
More than 22,000 law enforcement personnel are estimated to be present for the event, according to a senior police officer, and the movement of individuals will be monitored by camera-equipped balloons.
On the 16-kilometre route, 4,500 personnel have been assigned to walk beside the procession, while 1,931 personnel are in charge of traffic during the 147th annual Rath Yatra.
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