Puri, July 7: Today is the world famous Rath Yatra of the Holy Trinity -- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. The Chariot as well as numerous devotees are waiting for Lord Jagannath.

The three chariots -- Nandighosh (Lord Jagannath), Taladhwaja (Lord Balabhadra) & Darpadalan (Devi Subhadra) -- are eagerly waiting for the three sibling deities in front of the Singhadwar (Lion's Gate).

The stage is all set for the holy Rath Yatra with the three chariots, all decked up, ready to roll on the Bada Danda (Grand Road) towards their destination -- Shree Gundicha Temple (also known as Mausi Maa Temple).

The carpenters and artists gave the chariots their final touches, Saturday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi joined a cleanliness drive in Puri Saturday ahead of the Rath Yatra.

On CM Majhi’s request, President Droupadi Murmu, who arrived in Bhubaneswar Saturday, is scheduled to join the Rath Yatra Sunday.

The major rituals of the deities preceding the Rath Yatra, like Nabajouban Darshan (Lord giving darshan to the devotees after being in hibernation for nearly two weeks) and Netra Utsav (festival of eyes), fell on the day of the Rath Yatra. And the last time this coincidence happened was reportedly 53 years ago.

About the Chariots

The chariot of Lord Jagannath, Nandighosh, is the heaviest among the three weighing around 280-300 tonnes, while the weight of the chariot of Lord Balabhadra (Taladhwaja) is around 250 tonnes and the chariot of Goddess Subhadra (Darpadalan) is around 200 tonnes.

Nandighosh is 45.6-foot tall and has 16 wheels, Taladhwaja is 45-foot tall and has 14 wheels and Darpadalan is 44.6-foot high and has 12 wheels

Nearly 10,800 cubic feet of wood is used to build the chariots. Heavy iron pieces are fitted into them at different points for support and strength.

As many as 250 workers are engaged in the construction of the chariots over 57 days.

Expected Timings for the Rituals

As per the schedule, the Pahandi Bije -- the massive idols of the deities, each around 7-foot tall, would be taken out from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum by the servitors and installed on the mounts of the chariots -- of the deities would begin at 1.10 pm.

Following the completion of rituals, the chariots would be pulled by the devotees one by one and the pulling is scheduled to begin at around 5 pm. The pulling of chariots will continue Monday.

The deities will stay in the Shree Gundicha Temple for 7 days and return on the same chariots on the day of Bahuda Yatra, July 15.

Despite reaching the Srimandir, they would remain on the mounts of the three chariots in front of the main shrine before entering the temple July 19, the day of Niladri Bije.

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