BHUBANESWAR: For the first time, the grand Bahuda Yatra marked the culmination of nine days of Rath Yatra in London on Saturday.
Organised by the Shree Jagannatha Society UK (SJSUK) at Shri Ram Mandir , Southall, around 400 Jagannath devotees from across the UK and Europe participated in it.
The Bahuda Yatra rituals began with a “havan” by priests followed by “ratha pratishtha” (consecration of the chariot).
Thereafter, the “chatrudha murti snana” or ritual bathing of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra was performed and “khechudi bhoga” was offered to them. This was followed by “pahandi” or the procession in which the deities were carried to their chariot by ecstatic devotees, swaying and dancing to the beats of cymbals and blowing of conches, enthralled the onlookers.
After this, the ceremonial despatch of the “aganya mala” to the chariot, setting the stage for the deities to be the conveyed to the chariot, and “taahia lagi”, where the deities were adorned in elaborate headgear made up of flowers, was performed.
