Rath Yatra Chariot Pulling Halted, To Resume Saturday

Puri: The annual Rath Yatra in Puri witnessed an unexpected disruption on Friday as the pulling of Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosa chariot was abruptly halted, despite rituals being completed on time. The chariot, which was initially scheduled to roll at 4 PM, began moving only at 7:45 PM before the procession was suspended for the day without any official explanation for the delay.

According to sources present at the site, the Nandighosa chariot was pulled only for a short distance before the activity was stopped. Subsequently, the chariot pulling for all three deities was paused and will now continue on Saturday.

Confirming the update, the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration informed the media that the Rath Yatra chariot procession will resume the following day.

Meanwhile, the Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra faced an obstruction at Balgandi Chhak, while the Darpadalana chariot of Devi Subhadra came to a halt near the Town Police Station at Marichikot.

Law Minister Pruthviraj Harichandan addressed the media, stating, “With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, all the rituals were performed on time this year. The pulling of chariots also began at 4 PM as scheduled. However, it takes considerable time and effort to move Lord Balabhadra’s chariot, and there was an exceptionally large turnout of devotees this year, which contributed to the delay.”

He added that due to ritualistic constraints, the pulling was halted and will be resumed on Saturday morning. “All the devotees present will once again have the opportunity to participate in pulling the chariots,” the minister assured.

Despite the interruption, officials maintained that the religious ceremonies and associated rituals were conducted smoothly and as per tradition.