Ahmedabad, July 16 (IANS) More than 200 Jagannath Rath Yatras were taken out across Gujarat on Thursday, with the state’s major 149th annual procession in Ahmedabad concluding peacefully after travelling along its traditional route from the historic Shree Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area and returning to the temple by evening.

Besides Ahmedabad, Rath Yatras were organised in cities and towns including Gandhinagar, Surat, Rajkot, Morbi, Vadodara and several other districts, with lakhs of devotees participating in religious processions held on the occasion of Ashadhi Bij.

The police had made elaborate security arrangements across the state, with a special focus on Ahmedabad, which is regarded as the most sensitive and largest Rath Yatra in Gujarat.

The day in Ahmedabad began before dawn with Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah performing the ‘Mangala Aarti’ and offering prayers at the temple.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel later performed the traditional ‘Pahind Vidhi’, ceremonially sweeping the path before the chariots with a golden broom, and then flagged off the procession.

The yatra carried the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra along the customary 16-km route through the old city, including its traditional halt in the Saraspur area, regarded as the deities’ maternal home, before returning to Jamalpur in the evening.

As the procession progressed, Patel monitored the yatra’s movement and management via live feeds displayed on the Chief Minister’s Dashboard at his Gandhinagar residence.

Senior officials, including Chief Secretary M.K. Das, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Home Department Sanjeev Kumar, Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik and senior officers from Gujarat Police and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, joined the review.

The Ahmedabad procession witnessed one of the state’s largest security deployments. More than 31,000 police personnel, along with the Rapid Action Force and other agencies, were deployed on the route.

Authorities used artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance, facial recognition cameras, drones, body-worn cameras, GPS tracking, high-resolution CCTV cameras and cyber monitoring to oversee the event and curb misinformation on social media.

Police also monitored the procession continuously from an integrated command and control centre.

Emergency medical services remained on standby throughout the day. EMRI 108 ambulances and medical teams responded to 53 medical emergencies, most of them cases of fainting, while patients requiring further treatment were shifted to nearby hospitals.

In a post on social media platform X after the conclusion of the day’s events, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said: “Today, on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Bij, I had the privilege of participating in the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra organised at various places in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Jai Jagannath to all devotees.”

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said the 149th Rath Yatra had concluded peacefully under extensive security arrangements.

“The 149th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was completed peacefully with excellent security arrangements. During the 149th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad, the police administration’s planning, the round-the-clock service rendered by police personnel, and their tireless dedication to duty were clearly evident. As a result, the historic Rath Yatra festival was celebrated with dignity,” he said.

He added, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the police officers and the administration who served during this Rath Yatra.”

The Ahmedabad Rath Yatra, regarded as India’s second-largest after the annual procession in Odisha’s Puri, drew lakhs of devotees from across Gujarat and other parts of the country, while similar processions across the state concluded amid tight security and religious fervour.

–IANS

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