HYDERABAD: Ratha Yatra, the annual chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, was conducted in temples dedicated to the deity across the city in all its grandeur on Sunday. It is believed that a glimpse of the chariots of Lord Jagannath in procession with His brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra ensures freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Devotees, attired in their best, turned up in large numbers to view the procession at the Jagannath Temple run by Kalinga Cultural Trust in Banjara Hills. Nearly 8,000 to 9,000 devotees, irrespective of caste and creed, thronged the temple which is a replica of the Jagannath temple at Puri in Odisha.The ritual for Chhera Pahanra, which involves sweeping of the chariots by the king of Puri, was performed here by governor ESL Narasimhan in the company of his wife. The crowd jostled to catch a glimpse of the Arati and the air was heavy with chanting of the Lord's name. Brightening up the atmosphere, a group of street-theatre artistes enacted a song-and-dance ritual of Radha and Krishna. The heavy security deployed at the temple did not deter the crowd from surging forward to touch the gaily- decorated chariots as a means of salvation. In Puri, devotees strive to pull the ropes of the three chariots dedicated to the deities and many throw themselves at the wheels to attain moksha. The counter for sale of Kaja Prasad, a specialty of the Jagannath temple in Puri, did a brisk business. People jostled for vantage points around the open ground to view the procession. and the entire place was littered with empty water sachets and plastic wrappers of Prasad.The chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra will leave the temple premises and will be housed at the Kanaka Durga temple till July 11 when the deities return to their abode after nine days.“The temple was built three years ago and it has been two years since we have been conducting the Ratha Yatra. The number of visitors has doubled now,” said Ratan Kumar Singh, an executive committee member of the Kalinga Cultural Trust. “The festival being celebrated on this scale in Hyderabad makes me feel at home,” says Sunita Mahapatra, who had moved to Hyderabad
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