The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced early Sunday morning in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, drawing a large gathering of devotees along its procession route.
The tradition, observed annually on the second day of the Hindu month of Ashadh, saw the revered chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra, and Subhadra being pulled by members of the Khalashi community.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducted the ‘mangla aarti’ while Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed the ‘pahind vidhi’, symbolically cleaning the path with a golden broom, as the chariots set off from the historic 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur.
Security arrangements were extensive, with over 22,000 personnel ensuring safety, including the use of balloon-mounted cameras for monitoring. Along the 16-km route, 4,500 personnel accompanied the procession and 1,931 managed traffic flow.
Traditionally, the procession, featuring 18 decorated elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 ‘akhadas’, traverses various localities in Ahmedabad’s Old City, concluding by 8 pm. Senior police officials oversaw operations with body-worn cameras, drones, and surveillance cameras placed strategically along the route.
Additionally, 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by local shopkeepers provided further surveillance. Medical teams and 16 ambulances were on standby across five government hospitals to address any health emergencies during the event.