Ahmedabad, July 15 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will offer the Mangala Aarti at the Shri Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad, in the early hours of Thursday before the commencement of the city’s 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra, officials said on Wednesday.

According to the official programme, Union Minister Shah will attend the Mangala Aarti at 3:15 a.m. on July 16 at the historic temple, where the annual procession begins every year.

The visit comes ahead of one of Gujarat’s largest religious processions, which attracts lakhs of devotees from across the state and beyond.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra, held annually on Ashadhi Bij, starts from the nearly 400-year-old Shri Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area of the city.

The procession carries the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra through the traditional route before returning to the temple later in the day.

The Ahmedabad Rath Yatra is regarded as the second-largest Jagannath Rath Yatra in the country after the one in Puri.

Union Minister Amit Shah has regularly participated in the Mangala Aarti before the Rath Yatra in previous years, continuing a long-standing tradition of offering prayers before the ceremonial departure of the chariots.

This year’s procession is being organised amid extensive security and civic preparations.

Authorities have deployed advanced surveillance systems, including drones and high-resolution CCTV cameras, to monitor the route and manage crowds.

Police and civic agencies have also carried out inspections and coordinated arrangements along the procession route to ensure the event proceeds smoothly.

The temple’s festival schedule includes the Mangala Aarti and other early morning rituals before the ceremonial placing of the deities on the chariots, following which the 149th Rath Yatra will begin from the Jamalpur temple.

The procession remains one of Ahmedabad’s most significant annual religious and cultural events, drawing large numbers of devotees and visitors each year.

–IANS

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