Lord Jagannath is a symbolic god of Hindus whose idol is made up of wood. The rath yatra of baripada is symbolic as it makes the bada danda holy and also with the touch of it, the sinned gets rid of all his sins. According to the Sanskrit texts, one can receive immense blessings just by worshipping the idols when they are on the wooden chariot. It is believed that the sight ends up all the sufferings of the previous birth.
The world-famous rath yatra fills the entire world with happiness. The three deities leave the Ratna Bedi (the altar for the deities) and move out to meet their devotees. The festival is celebrated for 9 days and people wait eagerly for it. The festival is not only celebrated in Puri, it is also celebrated with pomp and show in the Dwitiya srikhetra, Baripada. The Lord of the universe is bathed in 108 pots of scented water and then He suffers from fever. The rath yatra though celebrated all over the world, celebration in baripada is unique. The chariot is usually pulled on the day of srigundicha yatra but in baripada, it is pulled a day after.
The chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are pulled on the first day. The chariot of Devi Subhadra is taken halfway and is put to a halt in front of the baripada police station. The debadalana chariot of Devi Subhadra is pulled only by ladies in baripada which is again unique. Similarly, the bahuda yatra of the Lords is special and different in baripada.
To provide safety and security to the siblings, Lord Jagannath in his Nandighosa chariot returns first. The second day completes the pulling of the chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra with the entering of the three deities into the temple premises called Niladribije. The district administration takes an ample amount of measures to tighten the security so that the entire festival is organized peacefully. The crowd is taken care of by the CCTV cameras.
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| Baripada Rath Yatra |
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| Baripada Rath Yatra |
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| Baripada Rath Yatra |
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| Baripada Rath Yatra |