Jagannath Rath Yatra: A day after the stampede in Puri, a huge crowd of devotees gathered to have darshan of Lord Jagannath

Thousands of devotees thronged to have darshan of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra on Monday, a day after the stampede in Puri on Sunday. In view of the huge crowd of devotees, the police administration has made tight security arrangements near the Sri Gundicha temple. Police officer Saurendra Priyadarshi said that barricading has been done in front of the temple and separate queues have been made for smooth darshan.

On Monday night, there was no 'Pahuda' i.e. rest time of the Lord in the temple, because many important religious rituals were scheduled. 'Mangala Aarti' was held at 7:40 am on Tuesday, in which thousands of devotees participated without any trouble. After about 20 days, cooked prasad 'Adapa Mandap Prasad' was offered to Lord Jagannath. It is believed that all sins are erased by seeing the Lord seated on the 'Adapa Mandap'.

Major changes in security

The police administration said that arrangements have been made for devotees to have darshan in the temple without any obstruction. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has made major changes in the administration after the incident so that the safety of the devotees can be ensured.

The administration remained fully alert on Tuesday as well. Under the new appointment, Puri District Magistrate Chanchal Rana and SP Pinak Mishra have also taken charge. Both the officers are constantly monitoring the arrangements by staying on the spot. The Rath Yatra started on June 27 and will continue till July 8. During this time, major rituals like 'Adapa Bije', 'Bahuda Yatra' and 'Sunabesha' will be held.

The Yatra will return on this day.

Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra will remain seated in Sri Gundicha temple till July 5. After this, they will return to their main temple with Bahuda Yatra. However, Sunday's stampede incident has alerted the entire administration so that no unpleasant situation arises in the future. Let us tell you, in this incident, 3 people died and more than 50 people were injured. After this, the Chief Minister, while asking forgiveness from God, has assured the devotees that the rest of the Rath Yatra will be completed with complete security and arrangements.