Puri Rath Yatra 2025: Lord Jagannath's chariot ready; check dates, timings, special trains here

BHUBANESWAR: The Puri Rath Yatra—one of India's most revered religious festivals—will begin on June 27. This annual event celebrates the divine journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.
The chariot festival will witness an extensive deployment of security forces, advanced surveillance technology, health precautions, and transportation support to manage the anticipated surge of devotees from across India and beyond.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, after chairing the final security meeting, confirmed extensive deployment of personnel and tech. The decision comes amid national security concerns post-Operation Sindoor. The security framework includes:
Security measures and precautions
State govt plans to deploy NSG snipers on rooftops along Grand Road in Puri.
Road and aerial patrol through helicopters to prevent potential airborne threats are under active consideration of the state govt.
Five-tier security system, comprising over 10,000 police personnel, central forces, more than 200 platoons of state forces
Anti-terrorist squad, has been put in place for peaceful conduct of the festival.
The government plans to strengthen security for the
Rath Yatra
through extensive police deployment, aided by AI-powered surveillance systems, including AI-enabled cameras and drones for monitoring, crowd control, and traffic management.
Safety & health measures for crowd management
Police have been instructed to take adequate steps to prevent stampede-like situations and rumour-mongering.
Police were also instructed to identify potential stampede-prone areas and implement stringent preventive measures.
The fire service directorate has been directed to maintain strict vigilance, and authorities have imposed a ban on the sale of diyas and outdoor cooking in crowded areas to prevent fire hazards.
In view of recent cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks in parts of Odisha, the health department has been directed to stay on heightened alert throughout the event.
Along with this, safe drinking water and healthy food should also be available for the tourists during the festival, the chief minister told the officials.
ECoR to operate 365 special trains
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Sunday announced elaborate arrangements for the upcoming Rath Yatra in Puri, including the operation of a record 365 special trains — up from 315 last year.
These special trains will facilitate smooth travel for pilgrims and visitors by connecting Puri to various locations across Odisha such as Rourkela, Biramitrapur, Bangiriposi, Junagarh Road, Sambalpur, Angul, and Cuttack.
The services will also extend to key destinations in neighbouring states, including Visakhapatnam and Palasa in Andhra Pradesh, Jagdalpur and Gondia in Chhattisgarh, and Santragachhi in West Bengal.
Railways have placed special focus on key festival days such as Gundicha Yatra, Sandhya Darshan, Bahuda Yatra, and Suna Besha. Dedicated services from remote and interior regions have been planned to ensure maximum accessibility for devotees.
President of the samiti, Krishna Bhagwan Kesarwani, told TOI that the yatra will be taken out in the city from Hewett Road to Mutthiganj Chota Chauraha with full pomp and show. He added that there would be a seven-days shringar of Lord Jagannath and other deities on June 28, 29, 30 and July 1, 2, 3 and 5.

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Time of India

5 hours ago

• Time of India

Puri Rath Yatra 2025: Lord Jagannath's chariot ready; check dates, timings, special trains here

BHUBANESWAR: The Puri Rath Yatra—one of India's most revered religious festivals—will begin on June 27. This annual event celebrates the divine journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. The chariot festival will witness an extensive deployment of security forces, advanced surveillance technology, health precautions, and transportation support to manage the anticipated surge of devotees from across India and beyond. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, after chairing the final security meeting, confirmed extensive deployment of personnel and tech. The decision comes amid national security concerns post-Operation Sindoor. The security framework includes: Security measures and precautions State govt plans to deploy NSG snipers on rooftops along Grand Road in Puri. Road and aerial patrol through helicopters to prevent potential airborne threats are under active consideration of the state govt. Five-tier security system, comprising over 10,000 police personnel, central forces, more than 200 platoons of state forces Anti-terrorist squad, has been put in place for peaceful conduct of the festival. The government plans to strengthen security for the Rath Yatra through extensive police deployment, aided by AI-powered surveillance systems, including AI-enabled cameras and drones for monitoring, crowd control, and traffic management. Safety & health measures for crowd management Police have been instructed to take adequate steps to prevent stampede-like situations and rumour-mongering. Police were also instructed to identify potential stampede-prone areas and implement stringent preventive measures. The fire service directorate has been directed to maintain strict vigilance, and authorities have imposed a ban on the sale of diyas and outdoor cooking in crowded areas to prevent fire hazards. In view of recent cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks in parts of Odisha, the health department has been directed to stay on heightened alert throughout the event. Along with this, safe drinking water and healthy food should also be available for the tourists during the festival, the chief minister told the officials. ECoR to operate 365 special trains The East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Sunday announced elaborate arrangements for the upcoming Rath Yatra in Puri, including the operation of a record 365 special trains — up from 315 last year. These special trains will facilitate smooth travel for pilgrims and visitors by connecting Puri to various locations across Odisha such as Rourkela, Biramitrapur, Bangiriposi, Junagarh Road, Sambalpur, Angul, and Cuttack. The services will also extend to key destinations in neighbouring states, including Visakhapatnam and Palasa in Andhra Pradesh, Jagdalpur and Gondia in Chhattisgarh, and Santragachhi in West Bengal. Railways have placed special focus on key festival days such as Gundicha Yatra, Sandhya Darshan, Bahuda Yatra, and Suna Besha. Dedicated services from remote and interior regions have been planned to ensure maximum accessibility for devotees. President of the samiti, Krishna Bhagwan Kesarwani, told TOI that the yatra will be taken out in the city from Hewett Road to Mutthiganj Chota Chauraha with full pomp and show. He added that there would be a seven-days shringar of Lord Jagannath and other deities on June 28, 29, 30 and July 1, 2, 3 and 5.

India Gazette

12 hours ago

• India Gazette

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi visits Alarnath temple, seeks blessings for state's prosperity

Brahmagiri (Odisha) [India], June 22 (ANI): Odisha chief minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, visited the revered Sri Alarnath Temple in Brahmagiri along with his family and Brahmagiri MLA Upasana Mohapatra on Sunday. The Chief Minister offered prayers and sought the divine blessings of Maha Prabhu Alarnath, a significant deity worshipped during the Anavasara period of Lord Jagannath. Following the Dev Snan Purnima, when Lord Jagannath, along with elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Mata Subhadra, is believed to fall ill and take rest (Anavasara), devotees turn to Lord Alarnath at Brahmagiri for darshan. During this time, the temple witnesses a massive influx of devotees, who come seeking the blessings of Alarnath Ji. CM Majhi, during his visit, also interacted with devotees present inside the temple premises, joining them in reverence and prayers. Sharing his thoughts in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister said, 'Today, I visited Lord Alarnath at Brahmagiri and sought his blessings. May the grace of Lord Alarnath always be upon the state and its people and may his blessings give us the strength to achieve the goal of a prosperous Odisha.' Apart from this, CM Majhi on Sunday conducted a review meeting at the Town Hall of Puri Municipality regarding the preparations for the upcoming Rath Yatra scheduled to begin on June 27. He stated that the administration is fully prepared to conduct the Rath Yatra smoothly. Majhi said, 'We held a meeting today to ensure efficient preparations for the Rath Yatra. The final review meeting is over. Today was the final meeting on security review. We discussed everything in detail. We are taking various steps for security in view of the incidents that happen every year. We deployed coast guards at sea, called in security forces. We have taken several steps to control traffic. AI camera and drone camera will be used for surveillance, and helicopters will also be used if required.' During the meeting, the Chief Minister stressed the importance of making the Rath Yatra completely incident-free. He instructed the administration to ensure that all operations -- police deployment, traffic control, fire safety measures, etc. -- are properly managed so that devotees can participate in the Yatra in an orderly and disciplined manner. (ANI)

The Hindu

17 hours ago

• The Hindu

BJP questions HIDCO's role in distributing Digha temple prasad

As Digha gets ready to observe the Rath Yatra on June 27, the first since the inauguration of ₹250-crore temple in the coastal town, a fresh controversy has erupted over distribution of prasad (offerings) of the temple. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has alleged that the West Bengal government has allocated funds through State-owned West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (HIDCO). 'The mandate of the HIDCO is to construct buildings for the government. This is why we did not say anything when it constructed the temple.... But how can it spend such an amount to distribute prasad to households?' asked Jagannath Chattopadhyay, general secretary of the State BJP. The BJP leader said that till Friday, various district magistrates and the municipal commissioner of Kolkata have been allocated funds of ₹32 crore for arranging gaja and peda (kinds of sweets). He added that directions have been issued from Nabanna (State Secretariat) that another ₹10 crore will be additionally allocated for the purpose. 'The State government is going to distribute sweets worth ₹42 crore to the people of the State as prasad. And this money is being spent by 'HIDCO',' Mr. Chattopadhyay said. Radharaman Das, vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata, said that door-to-door delivery of the prasad started from June 17 and is likely to continue till the first week of July. Mr. Das, one of the key priests of Digha Jagannath temple, said that so far prasad has been distributed to 14 million people of West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while inaugurating the temple on April 30, had directed that the prasad will be distributed to people of the State. Across the State, the prasad is distributed to public distribution system through which people get subsidised food grains. In certain occasions, leaders of ruling Trinamool Congress are seen going door-to-door to distribute the offerings made at the temple of Lord Jagannath. Each packet of prasad which costs ₹20 contains two sweets and a photograph of the temple and deities Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra. The temple built over 20 acres of land resembles the 12th century famous Jagannath temple of Puri and there has been a controversy over use of the phrase 'Jagannath Dham'. Political observers see the massive investment of the State government in the temple and outreach through distribution of prasad as a 'soft-Hindutva' pitch of the Trinamool Congress leadership to counter BJP's 'Hindutva' push in the State. The Trinamool leadership often compares the Digha Jagannath Temple to Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Kunal Ghosh, State general secretary of the Trinamool, said that the involvement of HIDCO is an administrative matter and administration will answer that. 'Look at what happened when they built the Ram temple. The BJP should think about how many houses and shops were demolished while building the Ram temple in Ayodhya, how many people were made to live on the streets,' Mr. Ghosh said.