Bhubaneswar, July 17 (IANS) The Odisha government has confirmed the deaths of two devotees but denied reports of any stampede-like incident during the annual Rath Yatra festival, which commenced in the holy coastal town of Puri with the participation of lakhs of pilgrims from across the state, the country and abroad. As per an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the world famous Ratha Yatra 2026 of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath, Mahaprabhu Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and C…
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Bhubaneswar, July 16 (IANS) One person reportedly died due to suffocation in an alleged stampede-like situation during the Rath Yatra festival in Puri, Odisha, on Thursday. However, there has been no official confirmation of the devotee’s death or the stampede-like situation so far. Speaking to reporters, a devotee who was present at the spot in Puri said that near Marichikund Square, either the rope barricade of the the outer cordon collapsed, or some people lost their balance and fell on the r…
Bhubaneswar, July 16 (IANS) Torrential rain failed to dampen the spirit of lakhs of devotees who remained immersed in devotion during the annual Rath Yatra festival in Odisha’s holy town of Puri on Thursday.Devotees gathered along the Bada Danda (Grand Road) were seen holding a sea of umbrellas while chanting ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Hari Bol’ and dancing in ecstasy despite the incessant downpour.On Thursday, the world-famous annual Rath Yatra festival began with the commencement of the Pahandi Bije…
Bhubaneswar, July 16 (IANS) The world-famous annual Rath Yatra festival began in the holy coastal town of Puri in Odisha on Thursday with the commencement of the Pahandi Bije ritual of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, ahead of the scheduled time.The holy siblings, along with other deities during the Pahandi Bije ritual, are being escorted out from the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple to their respective decorated chariots in a grand ceremonial procession w…