Indus Valley Times

By Sanghamitra Pradhan

Angul, June 28: The air in Jindal Nagar and its surrounding villages got repleted with an overwhelming sense of devotion as thousands of devotees united to celebrate the BahudaYatra festival at Devbhoomi. This joyous occasion marked the return journey of the revered deities – Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath – from the Gundicha Temple to the sacred Lord Jagannath Temple in Devbhoomi, Jindal Nagar, Angul. 

Mr. Naveen Jindal, the Prime Servitor of the temple and Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), led the way alongside his esteemed family members, including Smt. Savitri Jindal, Chairperson Emeritus of OP Jindal Group; Smt. Shallu Jindal, Chairperson of JSP Foundation; Smt. ArunaOswal, Chairperson of Oswal Group of Industries ,  Mr.Venkatesh Jindal; Ms.Yashasvini Jindal, and others. They wholeheartedly joined the BahudaYatra, participating in the sacred ‘Pahandi Vidhi’ and performing the Chherapanhara, a symbolic ritual representing the purification of the majestic chariots before their return to the main temple of Lord Jagannath.

Following the rituals strictly in line with the traditions observed at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, the auspicious day commenced at 5 am with ManimaDaka&DwarPhita (Door Opening), BhitarShodhneeti, and proceeded with MangalAarati, Mailam, TadapLagi, AbakashNeeti, and other divine rituals.

In the early morning hours, Smt. Shallu Jindal performed   the MangalAarati and conducted the puja vidhi at the Gundicha temple under the guidance of the Chief-Priest of the temple, Sri. SrikantJi.

The BahudaYatra witnessed an overwhelming participation from the local community and people from every corner of the district, all enthusiastically pulling the chariots with profound devotion and spiritual fervor.

Similar to the Sri GundichaYatra, the live telecast of the BahudaYatra was broadcasted through various social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, enabling devotees from around the world to witness and partake in this sacred festival.

The Deities will continue to grace their chariots for two more days, celebrating HarisayanEkadashi and Sunabesha on Thursday, followed by Adharpana on Friday and the finally the much awaited  NeeladriBije , back to RatnaSinghashan  on Saturday.

On this auspicious occasion, JSP has also organized the live telecast of Sunabesha, which will be streamed on the 29th of June from 4.00 P.M onwards. Devotees can access the live stream through the link: https://www.youtube.com/live/q2QxBIcwu2s.

In Puri , JSP Foundation continued its Free  Hot cooked meal services for the thousands of devotees which started on 19th June . JSP Foundation has so far served 9.4 lakh cooked meals from its live kitchen at Puri till the last report received.