Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah expressed a deep sense of spiritual fulfilment after participating in the ‘Mangala Aarti’ at Ahmedabad’s Shree Jagannath Temple during the 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra. Shah, in a social media post on X, shared his experience of seeking blessings at the historic temple in Jamalpur before the annual procession began.
Shah, attending the Mangala Aarti at the temple earlier in the day, joined the rituals marking the commencement of the chariot procession carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra. The Rath Yatra, held on Ashadhi Bij, is a significant event starting from the 400-year-old Shree Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur, considered the second-largest Rath Yatra in India after Puri, Odisha.
The annual procession draws a large number of devotees who gather along the traditional route to witness the chariots and seek blessings. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed the traditional ‘Pahind Vidhi’ before the procession began, with thousands of devotees assembling early in the morning to witness the rituals and the start of the 149th yatra.
Security measures were extensive, with over 31,000 police personnel, drones, CCTV cameras, body-worn cameras, and AI-enabled surveillance systems monitoring the 16-km route. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and other agencies ensured traffic management, sanitation, medical aid, and emergency response for the smooth conduct of the religious event.
