Jagannath Rath Yatra is an extremely powerful day when Lord Jagannath comes out of his sanctorum in a chariot to bless the devotees. This year, the Jagannath Rath Yatra began in Meerut on June 27 and thousands of devotees have been a part of it till now.
The historical 116th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was organized with great fervour from the Baba Bileshwar Nath Temple in Meerut. The yatra saw Lord Jagannath Swami, Devi Subhadra and Baldev seated on a chariot made on 450 kgs silver. The cost of the chariot is estimated to be 4 crore rupees.
According to the Temple Committee Chairman, Vijay Goyal, the first rath yatra which was 113 years ago was carried out with a 65 kg silver chariot. Now, the weight has been increased to 450 kgs.
The yatra started from the temple and passed through many important areas of the city like Bhainsali Maidan, Dalmandi Baker Street, Sadar Thana and Sadar Bazaar. It also included tableaus of Lord Ganesha, Khatu Shyam and Radha Krishna.
As per traditions, devotees pulled the chariot with their hands which was decorated with flowers while bands from other districts played regional tunes.
The yatra will go on till July 5, 2025 and already seeing a huge participation.