Digha Prepares for Grand Rath Yatra Festival with Global Devotees

In Digha, West Bengal, idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings were placed inside their chariots in front of a new temple as preparations for the Rath Yatra, set to commence in a few hours on Friday, come to a close.

An official confirmed that all arrangements for the festival are progressing smoothly and the administration is ready to ensure the event is conducted without any hitches.

Radharanan Das, Vice President of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), mentioned that the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra were adorned and placed in their chariots situated near the main temple gate for their annual journey to their aunt's place.

The three chariots are scheduled to begin their procession from the temple around 2:30 pm, with the journey concluding by 4:00 pm, officials informed.

The sweeping of the 750 km Rath Yatra route with a golden broom will start at 1:45 pm.

Accompanied by temple monks and others, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will participate in the ritual, according to Das.

Pilgrims attending the grand Rath Yatra festival from the newly constructed Jagannath temple in Digha on Friday will be required to stay behind barricades that line the 1 km procession route.

Chief Minister Banerjee announced on Thursday that devotees would be prohibited from spilling onto the streets to pull the chariots' ropes.

The seaside resort town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district is beautifully decorated with temple-themed cutouts, giant deity images, and illuminations crafted by artists from Chandernagore in Hooghly district.

Thousands of devotees have already arrived in Digha, and devotional songs are continuously played over the public address system.

According to Das, devotees from 50 countries have arrived in Digha and are contributing to the preparations of 'bhog' for the deities.

"Devotees from 50 countries, including those from Russia, Ukraine, the US, Germany, and China, have gathered here, offering unique vegetarian delicacies to the Lord," he stated.

Unlike the Jagannath Dham in Puri, the Digha temple welcomes entry from devotees of all nations.

"There is no restriction on the participation of the Lord's devotees in the festival," Das added.

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