Puri’s Rath Yatra started with cheers, 350 devotees injured due to high crowd

Puri: A grand event of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra began on 27 June 2025 in Puri, Odisha. Thousands of devotees pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra towards Sri Gundicha temple amid the announcement of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Hari Bol’. During this time, about 350 devotees were injured due to the crowd. Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that some devotees fainted due to heat and humidity, who were immediately rushed to the hospital.

Start of Rath Yatra

The journey starting from the famous Jagannath temple of the 12th century of Puri goes to Shri Gundicha Temple, 2.6 km away. After the ‘Pahandi’ ritual on Friday morning, the wooden sculptures of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra were taken from the temple to the chariots, the process of pulling the chariot began. The word ‘Pahandi’ comes from Sanskrit’s ‘Padmundanam’, which means walking slowly by spreading feet.

The sounds of conch and trumpet were echoing in the chariot journey

After the ‘Pahandi’ ritual on Friday morning, the wooden sculptures of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra were taken from the temple to the chariots, the process of pulling the chariot began. The word ‘Pahandi’ comes from Sanskrit’s ‘Padmundanam’, which means walking slowly by spreading feet. At 4:08 pm, the ‘Taldhwaj’ chariot of Lord Balabhadra went on, then the ‘Darpadalan’ chariot of Goddess Subhadra and finally Lord Jagannath’s ‘Nandighosh’ chariot left. During this time the sounds of conch, hour, cymbals and trumpet were echoing. King Gajapati Maharaja Divy Singh Deb of Puri completed the ritual of ‘Chherapahra’ (cleaning of chariots) on the three chariots, after which the devotees started pulling the chariot. Each chariot was placed wooden horses of different colors.

Many prominent personalities were present in the Rath Yatra

Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Puri MP Sambit Patra and many other dignitaries participated in the chariot yatra. 81 -year -old Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Saraswati of Govardhan Peeth came to visit the chariots on the wheelchair. His philosophy is an important part of this festival.

How is the condition of the injured right now

Officials estimate that about 1 million devotees attended the Rath Yatra this year. About 350 people were injured due to overcrowding. Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that some devotees fainted due to humidity and heat. The rescue teams immediately rushed him to the hospital. Primary health centers have been set up in the temple area, and adequate arrangements for glucose and water have been made. The minister said that proper treatment is being given to the injured. Please tell that strong security arrangements were made in Puri for the Rath Yatra. Odisha Police Director General YB Khurania said that more than 275 CCTV cameras equipped with AI were being monitored. Security and strictness were strictly strictly kept keeping in mind the intelligence of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025.