Rathyatra begins; sweets and bhog offered to deities

VARANASI: Several devotees thronged Beniram Bagh in Rathyatra area to worship Lord Jagannath and his sibling placed on a decorated wooden chariot on Saturday and Sunday.
The three-day festivities began at the stroke of midnight on July 17 as the doors of 18 ft long and 20 ft wide octahedral Rath (chariot) of Lord Jagannath were opened for public viewing.Thousands of devotees, including women and children, as well as those of neighboring areas thronged the city to witness the replica of the massive Rathyatra of Jagganath Temple in Puri and jostled to get the first glimpse of the new idols of the deities.
The devotees offered garlands made of Tulsi, rose and bela to the deities and sought blessings. Prior to this on Saturday, Mangal aarti was performed and later in the day ‘bhog’ comprising puri, kohde ki sabzi, curd, desi chane and kathal-aam pickle was offered to the sibling trinity.
On Sunday, mangla aarti was performed early in the morning followed by sweets and sharbat offered to Lord Jagannath and his siblings. Following this, Bhog was offered to the deities and aarti was performed at night.
Earlier in the day, a group of musicians of Iscon Temple under the leadership of Kishori Kishor Das presented bhajans of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu leaving the devotees mesmerized. Maharaj Anant Narayan Singh also reached the site and worshipped the deities and offered prayers.
The entire Rathyatra region had turned into a mini-fair as several makeshift stalls of nankhatai, ceramic and plastic toys, wooden items, cutlery and others had sprouted at the entire Rathyatra region. Swings and rides on the sides of the road attracted kids.
District administration also intensified security arrangements in Rathyatra area in the view of the heavy traffic load on busy routes.
According to reports of the ADM (city) office, beside deployment of special forces including PAC in the area, the traffic police have been also instructed to ensure route diversions for maintaining law and order in the area.
Notably, the Rathyatra of Lord Jagannath is carried out at six different places in Varanasi; Rathyatra, Shivpur, Sheetla Ghat, Ramghat, Ramnagar and Raja Talab.
The three-day fair would conclude on July 20-21, when the idols of the deities would be carried on doli (decorated palanquin) to Jagannath Temple to mark the culmination of Rathyatra festivity.