The Jagannath Temple at Garei in Naugaon block witnessed about 50,000 devotees on the occasion

The Rath Yatra was observed with much fanfare across the district here on Thursday. No untoward incident was reported during the festival in the district as the local administration and police had made elaborate arrangements for the safety and security of the devotees and visitors, sources said.

Sources informed that the Rath Yatra is popular in six major places including Sidhal, Dhyana Kuda, Garei, Sarabanta, Gadakujanga and Paradip where big Jagannath temples exist. The festival is also observed in almost all the villages of the district where devotees were found pulling of small chariots.

District Collector NC Jena attended the Sidhal Rath Yatra, six km from Jagatsinghpur town and performed the sweeping ritual on Thursday noon after which the chariot was pulled. Nearly 20,000 devotees form surrounding villages had witnessed the festival.

Rath Yatra was also celebrated in Dhyanakuda Jagannath Temple in Biridi block. Chariot pulling was started after 4 pm. Pramoda Nandi, the local designated King performed the sweeping ceremony and Baba Arakhita Das coordinated the celebration, where thousands of devotees participated.

The Jagannath Temple at Garei in Naugaon block witnessed about 50,000 devotees on the occasion. In coastal Erasama block, the festival was celebrated in Sarabanta Jagannath Temple under Gadaharishpur gram panchayat. A huge gathering had taken place to witness the festival.

The yatra was celebrated in a big way at Paradip. The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) acting chairman performed the sweeping ritual of the chariot and devotees pulled the chariot at 3pm.

The most glittering Rath Yatra was observed at Kunjabihari Temple in Gadakujanga garm panchayat near Kujanga where the chariot is pulled after a day. Former Minister Damodar Rout performed the sweeping ritual in the chariot on Thursday. As per a tradition, on Rath Yatra, all rituals are performed and the deities take rest in the chariot till the next day for pulling by a large number of devotees. In view of the recent Posco stand-off, elaborate security arrangements were made in the area.