Bengal's Digha set to hold first Rath Yatra from new Jagannath temple

Digha: Idols of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings were placed inside their chariots in front of the new temple in West Bengal's Digha town, where the Rath Yatra will begin in a few hours on Friday.

All other preparations for the festival are in full swing, while the administration is ready to conduct the event smoothly, an official said.

"The idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were put up in their chariots kept near the main temple gate as the sibling deities were being decked up for their annual sojourn to their aunt's place," International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Vice President Radharanan Das told PTI.

As part of the festival, the three chariots will be taken out from the temple around 2:30 pm, and the entire journey will be over by 4 pm, officials said.

The sweeping of the 750 km route of the Rath Yatra by a golden broom will begin at 1:45 pm.

Accompanied by monks of the temple and others, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will perform the ritual, Das said.

Pilgrims attending the grand Rath Yatra festival originating from the newly constructed Jagannath temple in Digha on Friday will have to stand behind barricades along the 1 km procession route.

They wouldn't be allowed to spill onto the streets to pull the ropes of the chariots of the sibling deities, Banerjee said on Thursday.

The seaside resort town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district has been fully decked up, adorned with temple-themed cutouts, giant images of deities and illuminations designed by artists from Hooghly district's Chandernagore.

Thousands of devotees have already reached Digha, while devotional songs were being played continuously through the public address system.

Das said devotees from 50 countries have already arrived in Digha and participated in preparations of 'bhog' for the deities.

"Devotees from 50 countries, including those from Russia, Ukraine, the US, Germany and China, are already here. They have offered their unique vegetarian delicacies to the Lord," he said.

Unlike the Jagannath Dham in Puri, entry of devotees from foreign countries is allowed in the Digha temple.

"There is no bar in the participation of devotees of the Lord in the festival," he added.