Thursday, June 25, 2009

City joins in the yatra of faith

Good morning friends. Different people in the city of Ahmedabad joins the procession in the yatra of faith. They were all cheerful.

A sea of humanity immersed in religious fervor descended on the streets of the city to greet the Jagannath Rath Yatra on Wednesday.

People from different walks of life thronged the rath yatra route to watch the chariots roll by and get the Lord's blessings. A heavy police deployment and religious bonhomie ensured that there was no untoward incident on the auspicious day.

The 132nd rath yatra ended up on a high note. While it saw more participants compared to last year, people flocked the entire route to catch a glimpse of the Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra. Devotees colored the routes pink with shouts of Jai Ranchhod Makhan Chor'.

In the morning, the yatra started on time from the Jagannath temple in Jamalpur after Gujarat Chief Minister swept the initial rath yatra route with a golden broom, clearing the way for the Lord.

After mangala aarti in the morning, the chariots started rolling at 7 am. According to organizers and police officials, while the yatra started on time and went on at a good pace initially, it reached around an hour late at Nij Mandir' One's own temple'.
The procession was greeted by AMC officials, including mayor Kanaji Thakor, at Danapith office around 9.30 am after which the yatra proceeded towards the traditional route. Amid the heavy security, devotees were treated to a variety of delicacies and fruits. Local residents also set up stalls for prasad and water for the devotees.

The yatra had a smooth sail through minority-dominated areas Dariapur and Shahpur. As there was no janta curfew, even Muslims poured out to greet the procession with cheers and joy wherever the juggernaut passed by.

The cops, too, breathed easy. Earlier, they created a cacophony by blowing whistles at minority-dominated areas to drown mischievous slogans and to keep the rath rolling. However, this time the spontaneous bonhomie between the Hindus and Muslims removed the need for loud whistling. Instead devotional songs and loud chants of devotees resounded the ambience.
IST,TNN

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