Amid tight security, the century's first Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was held in Puri on Saturday with fanfare, religious fervour, enthusiasm and a spirit of camaraderie.
Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, along with his disciples, paid obeisance to the idols on their respective chariots.
Modifying its June 18 order in which it had said that this year's Yatra cannot be allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the apex court permitted holding of the Yatra after taking note of Odisha government's stand that it 'can be held in a limited way without public attendance'.
An estimated 9 lakh devotees witnessed the world famous 'Ratha Yatra' of Lord Jagannath on Wednesday with religious fervour, enthusiasm and a spirit of camaraderie amid tight security.
Indians across the country welcomed the New Year 2026 with celebrations, religious observances, and gatherings at tourist spots. The President, Vice President, and Prime Minister extended greetings for peace and prosperity.
With United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi naming Pranab Mukherjee as the Presidential candidate, priests at Sri Jagannath Temple at Puri sought the Lord's blessings for him.
The elaborate rituals, which commenced early in the morning, concluded after the three wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Goddess Subhadra reached their destination at Gundicha Temple from Sri Mandir well before evening.
A woman was killed and three others were on Tuesday injured in a stampede during pulling of Ratha Yatra chariots from the Sri Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa, in which hundreds of thousand people took part.
The Raja Parba or Raja festival celebrates the enduring spirit of womanhood.
These crunchy, sugar-coated puri-like sweets are a significant part of the mahaprasad offered at the Jagannath temple in Odisha.
President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday night cut short his visit to Odhisa and returned to the capital after his wife Suvra was hospitalised following illness.
In live monuments like Puri Jagannath Temple and Somnath Temple, daily 'puja' will be conducted but no public gathering will be allowed, said Nitin Tripathi, the ministry's media advisor.
The law minister last month told the assembly that of the lord's total Rs 626.44 crore, Rs 592 crore was kept in Yes Bank. While Rs 545 crore was in the bank as fixed deposits, the remaining Rs 47 crore was in a flexi account.
Reacting to the statement, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said "insulting the Sanatan Dharma again and again" has become the habit of the Samajwadi Party and its leaders.
With Parliament's winter session is to begin on November 18, the Union home and law ministries want to complete the process of formation of the board of trustees in time, reports R Rajagopalan.
The BJP on Saturday accused the Congress of repeatedly supplying "oxygen" to Pakistan, and slammed the opposition party for its leader Charanjit Singh Channi's remarks questioning the veracity of Balakot air strikes after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress is full of pro-Pakistan leaders who make statements against India's interests, and mocked the party for its letter that had advised its functionaries to toe the official line on the issue. Patra also criticized other Congress leaders for their comments on the Pulwama and Pahalgam terror attacks, accusing them of lowering the morale of the armed forces. He further slammed the Congress for claiming credit for the government's announcement of the caste census and said the party never carried out the exercise during its over 60-year stint in power.
More than 600 people have visited hospitals and medical camps in Puri. However, only over 130 have been admitted to hospital, said Director of Health Services, Bijay Mohapatra.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said he had directed the state Advocate General to approach the high court and request it to allow the annual procession. The HC had on Saturday stayed the procession in the light of coronavirus pandemic in Ahmedabad.
Chief Secretary A K Tripathy and Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay rushed to the pilgrim town to make the necessary arrangements. "The DGP and I are rushing to Puri to take stock of the situation as per the direction of the chief minister. We will camp there," Tripathy said.
Shree Jagannath Sena, a Puri-based outfit, submitted a memorandum to the President, seeking her intervention to facilitate the process of bringing back the Kohinoor diamond to the 12th-century shrine.
The court noted that several devotees visiting the Jagannath temple in Puri were being harassed.
While some reports suggested that the laser show of Sribhumi Sporting Club, helmed by state minister Sujit Bose, was suspended after some pilots complained of obstruction in viewing due to it, organisers of the puja situated close to the Dumdum airport claimed that the measure was taken as the crowd was not moving forward, creating COVID and security hazards.
'Why exclude those who are curious about our faith but not born into it, to experience the temple?'
Over ten lakh devotees witnessed the world famous annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath held in Puri on Sunday with fanfare, religious fervour and enthusiasm amid tight security as the practice of people climbing the chariots was stopped in a major reform initiative.
From Bhubaneshwar to Puri and beyond, here is the second part of Deepak Kripalani's Odisha travelogue.
In the backdrop of a terror threat, the world-famous Ratha Yatra festival was celebrated amidst tight security and religious fervour.
Around 10 lakh people are expected to gather for the festival in the temple town from across the country, and some foreign nations, director of health service Bijay Mohapatra said.
Chants of 'Jai Jagannath' rent the air all over as the news about the Supreme Court giving its nod for holding the world famous car festival in the pilgrim town reached the state bringing cheers among people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said it will set up an exclusive healthcare centre for the families of servitors. Ahead of the Rath Yatra, a massive sample collection exercise was conducted on Monday night and one servitor had tested positive, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said.
Even non-partisan observers are saying the Congress and INDI alliance are not making any significant effort to campaign on the ground, he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a three-day visit to Odisha, is set to meet her counterpart in the neighbouring state, Naveen Patnaik, on Thursday afternoon.
'As a person who has seen the treasure, I am worried about its safety.'
When she left home for her maiden visit to Jagannath temple in Puri city with her parents, Purnima Gogoi never thought the memories of the journey would beset her mind terribly and she would want to forget about it for the rest of her life.
There are several other famous temples across India that disallow non-Hindus to enter their place of worship, Rediff.com lists some of them.
Although the BJP has never been ballistic about the BJD and Narendra Modi has avoided being critical of Naveen Patnaik, the BJP is optimistic that the party can improve its electoral fortunes in Odisha on its own, notes Rup Narayan Das.
Nestle India, the Indian subsidiary of the Swiss multinational FMCG giant Nestle, had to face on social media the wrath of consumers, who accused the company of hurting religious sentiments by using the sacred images on Kitkat wrappers.
"It is a matter of faith for crores. If Lord Jagannath will not come out tomorrow, he cannot come out for 12 years as per traditions," said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.
Four-year-old Budhia Singh ran a marathon covering 65 km from Puri to Bhubaneswar in seven hours two minutes
With the Ram Mandir scheduled to open its doors to visitors in January, Ayodhya is expected to welcome travelers both from India and abroad.
