PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, June 30: The steel city of Jamshedpur is gearing up to give a grand welcome to the chariot of Lord Jagannath and his siblings (Rath Yatra) when it rolls out tomorrow (Friday, July 1).
Members of Iskcon and other organisations in the steel city will come together to celebrate the day with religious fervour.
In its 15th year, Iskcon with the help of various socio-religious outfits will organise one of the biggest Rath Yatra in Jamshedpur.
Chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Subhadra and Balaram will roll out on the streets from Ram Mandir in Bistupur amid a huge crowd.
The procession, which will start around 2 pm, will pass via Sakchi Highway Road and Old Court before culminating at Dhalbhum Club in Sakchi, covering a distance of over 6km. Devotees will pull the chariot, though they were engine-driven.
Besides Iskcon, Rath Yatra will also be celebrated at Beldih Naga Temple, one of the oldest temples in the city, Gandhi Ashram in Baradwari and Sonari Geeta Bhavan.
At the Naga temple in Beldih, the chariot from the temple leaves for ‘Mausi Badi’ in the nearby Tulsi Mandir for a week.
Notably, the chariot festival was a low-key affair in Steel City for the last two years due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.
