Ahmedabad, July 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) The 149th annual Jagannath Rath Yatra concluded on Thursday after the chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra returned to the historic Shree Jagannath Temple in the Jamalpur area, bringing to a close one of Gujarat's largest religious processions.
The procession, which began in the early hours of the day following traditional rituals at the temple, travelled along its customary route through Ahmedabad before returning to the temple by evening.
Lakhs of devotees lined the route to offer prayers and witness the annual yatra, regarded as the second-largest Jagannath Rath Yatra in India after the festival in Puri.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the procession was attended by devotees from Ahmedabad, across Gujarat, and other parts of the country.
"The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was organised in Ahmedabad today. Lakhs of devotees who came from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and across the country welcomed the Rath Yatra with great enthusiasm," Sanghavi said.
He added, "The highest number of devotees have participated in the darshan of this Rath Yatra. Excellent arrangements were made by Ahmedabad Police, Gujarat Police, and the administration for all the devotees, and the procession is moving ahead right on time."
The day began with Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah performing the Mangala Aarti at the temple, while Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel carried out the traditional 'Pahind Vidhi' before flagging off the procession.
Later, Patel monitored the movement of the yatra in real time through the Chief Minister's Dashboard, reviewing security and crowd management using live video feeds.
Throughout the day, the procession passed key landmarks, including the Saraspur area, traditionally regarded as the maternal home of Lord Jagannath, where the deities were ceremonially welcomed before continuing along the route.
Authorities had put in place one of the most extensive security operations for the annual event.
More than 31,000 police personnel, supported by Rapid Action Force units and other security agencies, were deployed across the 16-km route.
The arrangements included artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance, drones, facial recognition systems, high-resolution CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras, and cyber monitoring to detect rumours and misinformation.
Emergency medical teams and civic agencies also remained on standby throughout the day, providing medical assistance, traffic management, and other essential services to facilitate the smooth completion of the centuries-old procession.
Source: IANS
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