Rath Yatra Ready to Roll

Puri : With just a day left for the annual RathJatra in Odisha’sPuri, devotees from across the country and abroad have started arriving at the pilgrim town to witness the grand event. Devotees as well as servitors of the 12th century shrine and officials are gearing up car festival to witness the divine journey of Lord Balabhadra, Lord Jagannath and Devi Subhadra on three giant chariots. Ahead of the mega festival, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has announced the full schedule of rituals for the RathYatra to be held on June 27. As per the schedule, the rituals will begin early in the morning on Friday and continue throughout the day, culminating with the pulling
of the grand chariots in the afternoon. Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad are expected to participate in the sacred event. As elaborate arrangements have been made for the car festival on Friday, the pilgrim town has been heavily fortified with approximately 10,000 security personnel, including Central Armed Police Forces, deployed for the annual RathYatra of Lord Jagannath, set for June 27. Over 275 AI-powered CCTV cameras have been installed across the town for surveillance, monitored 24/7 from a newly established Integrated Command and Control Room. The enhanced security measures also include National Security Guard snipers on rooftops along the BadaDanda, antidrone technology, police drones, anti-sabotage teams, bomb squads, and dog squads with Marine Police, Coast Guard, and Indian Navy securing the seafront. Over 15 lakh devotees are expected to visit the town from across India and abroad to participate in the annual sojourn of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath, which transcends caste and religion. A real-time chatbot has been launched to assist visitors with parking availability, route maps, and directions to vacant parking spaces. The traffic regulations will come into effect from Thursday