Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannath taken out with Vedic chanting
Seraikela-Kharsawan, Shachindra Kumar Dash: Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was taken out in Haribhanja on Tuesday with Vedic chants like Mangalam Lord Vishnu, Mangalam Madhusudanam, Mangalam Pundri Kakhya, Mangalam Garuda Dhwaj, Madhav Madhav Baje, Madhav Madhav Hari, Smaranti Sadhav Nityam, Shakal Karya Shumadhavam…. Devotees thronged in this festival of faith, beliefs and traditions. On the lines of Puri in Odisha, the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was taken out at Haribhanja in Kharsawan on Tuesday. Prabhu Jagannath along with his elder brother Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshan will reach Gundicha temple from Sri Mandir by riding on a chariot amidst gathering of devotees and chanting of Jai Jagannath. The Rath Yatra was started with the worship of Lord Surya. After this, the Chaturtha idol was brought to the mandap made in the temple premises and Havan was performed along with worship. Lord Jagannath was decorated by wearing Tulsi garland and flower garland during worship.
Rath Yatra started after Chhera-Ponhra ceremony
Rath Yatra was taken out after Chhera-Pohra ceremony of Haribhanja of Kharsawan. Sanjay Singhdev of the landlord family of Haribhanja village performed the Chhera Ponhra ceremony by sprinkling sandalwood and sweeping. After the ceremony of Chhera Ponhara, the Chaturtha idols (Lord Jagannath, elder brother Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshan) were taken to the chariot while doing pohandi (swinging) under the leadership of temple priest Pandit Pradeep Kumar Dash. After this, the devotees pulled the chariot from Srimandir to Srigundicha temple. A crowd of devotees gathered to pull the chariot. On reaching the Gundicha temple, aarti was performed to the fourth idol and bhog was offered. Prasad was distributed among the devotees.
Lord Jagannath goes out in a rath yatra to give darshan to the devotees.
Rath Yatra is the only time when Lord Jagannath, Lord of the world leaves the jeweled throne of the temple and comes out to give darshan to his devotees. After staying for eight days in the Gundicha temple, his birth place, he returns back to the Srimandir. On June 28, Lord Jagannath will return to Srimandir from Gundicha Temple along with his siblings. The Rath Yatra of Haribhanja is very popular in the region. It is said that just by seeing the Lord in the Rath Yatra, all the sins are removed and a lot of virtue is received. During the Rath Yatra, bhajan kirtan was presented by the kirtan troupe from Odisha. A fair was also organized on the occasion.
Artists from Odisha enthralled the devotees
Rath Yatra was taken out in Haribhanja on the lines of Puri in Odisha. Even today, glimpses of 250 years old Jagannath Odia culture can be seen here. At the time of Rath Yatra, like Puri, bhajan-kirtan was organized here too. In front of Lord Jagannath’s chariot, 65 artistes from Bolangir, Odisha performed bhajan kirtan bhajan in Odia. Devotees danced throughout the day on hymns related to Lord Jagannath. The presentation of artists from Bolangir city of Odisha remained the main center of attraction. Many people had reached to see the bhajan-kirtan. Apart from this, the bell crew also kept ringing the bell. The whole village resounded with the big-sized drums. The chariot was also decorated in a grand way. On fulfillment of the vow, a large number of devotees offer offerings to the Lord. During the Rath Yatra, devotees were seen engrossed in the devotion of Lord Jagannath.