Bhubaneswar: Notwithstanding intense heat, thousands of devotees participated in the ‘Rukuna Rath Yatra’ of Lord Lingaraj here Tuesday.
The ‘Rukuna Rath Yatra’ was organised on the occasion of Ashokashtami in front of Lord Lingaraj temple in the Old Town of Bhubaneswar.
Apart from ensuring strict security arrangements, administrative authorities distributed drinking water to the devotees as the temperature soared to 41.9 degrees Celsius.
A large police contingent comprising 12 platoons (one platoon comprising 30 personnel) of policemen, besides several officers, were deployed for the event.
The bronze idols of ‘Chandrasekhar’ (representative idol of Lord Lingaraj), Devi Rukuna and Ananta Basudev were taken to the chariot from the main temple in a ceremonial procession called ‘Pahandi’ in the afternoon amid chanting of hymns, beating of drums and gongs and blowing of the conch shells.
Earlier in the morning, rituals such as ‘Mangala Alati’ were performed at 5 am in the 11th-century shrine, followed by ‘Abakasha’ and ‘Sahanamela’.
Although chariot pulling was scheduled to start at 3.30 pm, it got delayed due to various reasons, including prevailing heatwave conditions.
The chariot was pulled for 2 km along Ratha Road to the Lord’s ‘Mausima’ abode of Rameswar temple.
PTI