HM Amit Shah Performs ‘Mangla Aarti’ as 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath Commences in Ahmedabad

GG News Bureau
Ahmedabad, 7th July.  The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced early Sunday morning in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, drawing a massive crowd of devotees who gathered along the procession route to pay their respects to the deity.

The chariots (raths) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra, and sister Subhadra were traditionally pulled by members of the Khalashi community. The Rath Yatra is an annual event held on Ashadhi Beej (the second day of the Hindu Ashadh month).

This year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah performed the ‘mangla aarti,’ and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel carried out the ‘pahind vidhi,’ a ritual involving the cleaning of the path with a golden broom, as the chariots set off from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in the Jamalpur area.

A senior police official stated earlier that over 22,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure the event’s safety, with balloon-mounted cameras being used to monitor the crowd. Along the 16-km route of the procession, 4,500 personnel walked with the procession while 1,931 managed traffic.

Following tradition, the procession, led by the chariots, is expected to return by 8 PM after passing through various localities in the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas. The procession includes 18 decorated elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 ‘akhadas’ (local gymnasiums).

Senior police officials are closely monitoring the procession using 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room. Additionally, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations along the route. Nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers will also be used for live surveillance, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik informed reporters on Thursday.

To address any potential medical emergencies, 16 ambulances and medical teams at five government-run hospitals are on standby, according to officials.