4L devotees to gather as Iskcon Temple chariots roll
Bhubaneswar: With Rath Yatra around the corner, preparations are in full swing at the Iskcon Temple in Nayapalli area of Bhubaneswar. Chariot makers, including skilled artisans from Ganjam, are busy crafting the three wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with intricate carvings and mythological motifs.
Each chariot will be meticulously decorated with vibrant fabrics, garlands and traditional artwork narrating stories from the Jagannath lore.
This year, the temple authorities estimated that over 4 lakh devotees are likely to stand on the route from the shrine in Nayapalli to the Mausi Ma Temple at Unit VIII, as the three chariots traverse the NH-16 amid tightened security measures and traffic diversions.
"When Iskcon decided to construct a temple in Bhubaneswar in the 1980s, founder Prabhupada Maharaj asked Gour Govind Swami, head in Odisha, to place idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in one of the three altars.
Gurudev believed that the deities would come to the temple on their own. Surprisingly, a devotee in Old Town area constructed three idols of the deities for a temple in his home. But Lord Jagannath came in his dreams and told him about the newly constructed temple where he wanted to be worshipped with His siblings.
Since then, unflinching faith and devotion to the deities have been guiding us," said Upendra Mishra Das, co-president of Iskcon Temple.
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During the initial days, the idols used to be kept on a bus and pulled to a temporary Mausi Ma temple, which had to be erected in open fields in nearby areas. Later, only the Mausi Ma Temple of Iskcon was constructed in Unit VIII area in 2000. "Divine intervention of Lord Jagannath has always guided us. Since pulling the chariots along the NH-16 is not allowed, the chariots crossed the road at CRP Square, from where deities were pulled to the Mausi Ma temple amid a sea of devotees," said Kashinath Pandit Das, vice-president-cum-treasurer of the Iskcon Temple.
The Iskcon Temple has become a powerful social and cultural symbol for the city by attracting many foreign devotees. "The festival is about more than just pulling chariots. It is about togetherness, rituals and the joy of participating in something bigger than oneself," said Banamali Jagannath Das, chairman of the festival committee.
To ensure safety and crowd management, the temple administration works closely with traffic police and local administration, deploying hundreds of volunteers across strategic points. "Besides, fire personnel and officials of BMC, drainage, health and other line departments work in close coordination to ensure the smooth conduct of Rath Yatra," said Radhakanta Das, chief coordinator of the festival committee.
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