Rath Yatra In Puri In Odisha: CM Patnaik For Smooth Conduct Of Rituals

The Odisha government is geared up to conduct Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Puri in a smooth, orderly and disciplined manner, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Tuesday.

"It is our responsibility to complete the Rath Yatra rituals smoothly," the Chief Minister, who attended the coordination meeting to review the preparations, said.

He took part in the meeting via video conference. Patnaik said, "Safe journey of devotees with a good Rath Yatra experience should be ensured. The blessings of Lord Jagannath are always with us. Everyone's service and dedication will make grand festival successful."

"Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the greatest identity of every Odia. The entire world is waiting for Lord's Rath Yatra. It is the responsibility of all of us to finish the festival smoothly," he said.

In the meeting, the Chief Minister stressed on the smooth conduct of rituals, and arrangements for devotees in view of heat wave. "The most important thing is to ensure smooth conduct of rituals. Similarly, Special attention needs to be given to the safety devotees coming to Puri. Special arrangements need to be made in view of the summer season this year," he added.

The coordination meeting was attended by Chief Secretary P K Jena, Director General of Police SK Bansal, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), several servitors of the temple, and senior officials of different departments attended the meeting in Puri.

The Rath Yatra is celebrated on the second day of the two-week-long Ashadha month of the Hindu calendar and this year, it takes place on June 20.

All the departments are working together in a coordinated manner to organise the mega festival as per schedule, Chief Administrator of SJTA Ranjan Kumar Das said.

The Rath Yatra is one of the famous Hindu festivals celebrated across the world. The Yatra is associated with Lord Jagannath at Shri Kshetra Puri Dham.

Its history is also depicted in Hindu scriptures like Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita.