Annual Rath Yatra celebrations begin in India, people across country offer prayers

New Delhi, 20/06/2023: President Droupadi Murmu congratulated people on the occasion of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra on Tuesday and wished everyone pleasure, peace, and prosperity as she visited Jagannath Temple in Delhi’s Hauz Khas and offered her prayers.

Every year the chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath are drawn from the Shri Jagannath temple to the Shree Gundicha temple in Puri during the yatra. Similar yatras are held in various parts across the country.

Indian President also took to twitter and expressed her greetings and best wishes to all citizens, particularly Lord Jagannath followers. ‘I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath that this festival of devotion and dedication brings everyone happiness, peace, and wealth. Jai Jagannath,’ she added in her tweet.

This comes as the Odisha government made extensive preparations for the mega-religious event. Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan met with Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on this auspicious day on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned to Twitter to express his best wishes. “Rath Yatra greetings to all. As we commemorate this important event, may Lord Jagannath’s divine trip bring us health, pleasure, and spiritual enrichment,” he stated in a tweet while also sharing a video of the Yatra.