The return car festival of Lord Jagannath, known as the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ is set to take place today.

BHUBANESWAR: The return car festival of Lord Jagannath, known as the ‘Bahuda Yatra‘, is set to take place today, marking the journey of the deities from the Gundicha temple back to the 12th-century shrine. The ceremonial procession, called Pahandi, will commence at noon.
The event marks the return of deities to the Jagannath Temple, concluding a nine-day journey of Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra. Devotees will pull the deities’ chariots back to Sri Mandir from Sri Gundicha temple.
The chariot pulling is scheduled to begin at 4 pm, following the completion of the Pahandi.
As part of the ritual, the titular king of Puri, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingh Deb, will perform ‘Cheera Pahanra’, which involves sweeping the chariots. Once this ceremony is concluded, devotees will pull the chariots, as stated by a temple administration official.
It is anticipated that approximately five lakh people will assemble to witness and participate in the Bahuda Yatra. The sibling deities embarked on their journey from the 12th-century Jagannath temple to the Gundicha temple on July 7, during the Rath Yatra.
Security heightened in Puri ahead of Lord Jagannath’s Bahuda Yatra
To ensure the smooth conduct of the Bahuda Yatra, Odisha Police has deployed a substantial force of 180 platoons, each consisting of 30 personnel, along with 1,000 officers. Besides three companies of RAF, two companies of CRPF have been deployed. Their primary focus will be on maintaining law and order and managing the large crowds expected to gather for the festival.
According to Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) Sanjay Kumar, comprehensive security measures have been implemented, including the installation of CCTV cameras throughout the city.
Odisha Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Sanjay Kumar, assured that all preparations are in place.
“With the blessings of god, all our arrangements are in place. The police force, police personnel, officers, everybody has taken their position. Mangalarti is going on. All the arrangements like CCTV, force deployment, traffic clearance, crowd control, and quadrant control, are in place, we have checked it. We have done rehearsals also. So today we are not anticipating any problem.” Kumar stated.
Kumar added that puja will be conducted before Lord Jagannath is taken towards the temple.
The Rath Yatra, a grand event that attracts thousands of devotees who line the streets, chanting hymns passionately as they pull the magnificent chariots towards the Gundicha Temple, culminates with the Bahuda Yatra.
In the Yatra, the deities will be pulled in three different chariots by devotees, symbolizing the end of their sojourn.