Indus Valley Times

By Sanghamita Pradhan

 Angul, July 8 :The Rath Yatra festival at Devboomi, Jindal Nagar was celebrated with deep devotion minutely adhering to ritual details of Jagannath  Rath Yatra.

The occasion attracted thousands of devotees from far and wide. The grand chariots, Taladhwaja, Darpadalan, and Nandighosh of Mahaprabhu Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Mahaprabhu Jagannath, embarked on their annual sojourn journey from the Temple in Devboomi to the Gundicha Temple in the township.

Mr. Naveen Jindal, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) representing Kurukshetra Constituency for the 3rd time and Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP) with wife  Smt. Shallu Jindal the Chairperson of JSP Foundation and his mother Smt. Savitri Jindal,  the Chairperson Emeritus of O.P. Jindal Group,  and other family members served in the Rath Yatra festival as the prime servitors.

As part of the ceremonial proceedings, Mr. Naveen Jindal participated in the ‘Pahandi Vidhi’ and performed Chherapanhara, the ritualistic cleansing of Mahaprabhu’s Path of annual journey in their majestic chariots.

Expressing his humility and gratitude on this auspicious occasion, Mr. Naveen Jindal stated, “I offer my Prayers to the Almighty for showering the Divine Blessings upon us all to serve our Country and the Mankind at large. May Mahaprabhu Jagannath bestow His blessings upon each one of us, and I wish everyone in Odisha and our country a joyous Rath Yatra.”

All the rituals like Netra lagi, Navajawaban Darshan, Mangal Aarati, Tadap Lagi, Pahandi, and more were conducted as per Vedic rules.

Replete with reverence to Mahaprabhu Jagannath Sri Chaturdhamurti , the Jindal family participated in the early morning rituals performing all the pujas under the guidance of the Chief Priest of the temple, Sri Srikant Ji. The highlight of this magnificent festival was the enthusiastic participation of girls and women, who exclusively pulled the chariot of Mahadevi  Subhadra with great zeal.

Mr. Pankaj Malhan, Location Head Angul, Mr. Damodar Mittal, Executive Director, accompanied by their families, as well as numerous other officials, employees, their families, and thousands of community members, also enthusiastically attended the Rath Yatra. They actively participated in the procession, joining other devotees in pulling the majestic chariots.

To reach the maximum number of devotees, the Rath Yatra was live-streamed on YouTube, providing thousands with the opportunity to witness the festival.

Rath Yatra festival will continue to be celebrated inside the Angul Jindal Nagar till 19th July , the Niladri Bije when the Chaturdhamurti Mahaprabhu will be returning to Ratna Singhashan in the Jagannath Temple in DevBhoomi.  Every day till the Return Rathyatra (Bahuda) on 15th July,  the local  Community & Workmen and employees will be served  Anna Prasad inside Jindal Nagar Township.