Jagannath Rath Yatra hits roads of Kathmandu after 3 years

Jagannath Rath Yatra which was stalled for three years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic was restarted with pomp and show into the streets of Kathmandu on Friday.

Hundreds of devotees walked into the streets of Kathmandu pulling the chariot to detour the city chanting hymns and slogans hailing Lord Jagannath.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness had organized the Jatra in the Nepali capital Kathmandu which was last held in 2019 before the pandemic gripped the world.

"I am extremely happy and satisfied with the festival of Jagannath Rath Yatra is finally back," Mina Chand, a devotee who took part in the procession told ANI.

"During the COVID pandemic, I stayed back at home but watched the procession of Jagannath Puri in India which I watched online over the TV. But, was not able to participate, like today. I was very sad as the procession didn't take place but now I am really happy," Chand added.

The Ratha Yatra, also known as the Chariot Celebration of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, is the most prominent Hindu festival in the Puri city of Odisha.

The Pahandi rituals for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Odisha's Puri. The participation of devotees in the Rath Yatra has been allowed this time after a gap of two years following the COVID pandemic.

After due rituals, the three Raths of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra have been pulled and put stationed in front of the Singha Dwara of the Shreemandira on Thursday itself.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended greetings on Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri and wished for everyone's good health and happiness.

"Greetings on the special day of Rath Yatra. We pray to Lord Jagannath for his constant blessings. May we all be blessed with good health and happiness," PM Modi said in a tweet.

This festival takes place every year on the second day of the Shukla Paksha in the months of June or July. This year the festival falls on July 1.

The three chariots are built a new, every year ahead of the annual chariot festival.

Vibrant colours, enthusiastic faces, crowded shops, and cheery craftspeople are just a few of the highlights of Rath Yatra in Puri, the popular Chariot celebration held on a big scale every year outside Jagannatha Temple.