Day after beginning of Rath Yatra in Puri, chariots of deities reach 'aunt's place'

THE chariots of sibling deities - Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath on Saturday reached the destination Gundicha Temple, a day after the Rath Yatra began in Puri.

- PBD BUREAU/PTI

Gundicha Temple is considered the aunt's place of the deities who go there every year after leaving the 12th-century Jagannath temple, situated at a distance of 2.6 km.

They will go back to the main temple after nine days. The return car journey, known as 'Bahuda Yatra', will be held this year on 5 July.

Earlier in the day, amid chanting of “Jai Jagannath” and “Hari bol”, devotees resumed pulling the three chariots around 10 am, after the Rath Yatra was halted on June 27 night.

The chariots were scheduled to reach Gundicha temple by the evening of Friday. But they had to be stopped on Grand Road as Lord Balabhadra's Taladhwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, preventing the other two from advancing.