Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra 2020: Sentiments win over the Pandemic

Dated: June 27, 2020

                                                                                                                                                           - By Megha Bhatia

World’s largest chariot festival-Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, held in Puri, was made possible this year after the Supreme Court removed its stay on the age-old yatra that Hindus considered sacred. In this Yatra, Lord Jagannath’s deities (also named Bhagwan Vishnu), Balabhadra (his brother) and Subhadra (his sister) traveled to Gundicha temple on a chariot for a nine-day stay. 

Jagannath is believed to be the Lord who watches over the world and never sleeps. The yatra is conducted on the day of Ashada shukla dwitiya or Ashaadi beej, which also marks the Kutchhi new year.

It is claimed that this is the only time of the year that the Lord comes out to meet devotees on his chariot (rath), particularly those who are physically disabled and unable to visit the temple. According to tradition, the king of the former Kalinga monarchy — the Gajapati — conducts the Chera Pahanra in Puri, the chariot sweeping, that is considered the pahind vidhi in Ahmedabad and is done by the Chief Minister.

Earlier Order of Supreme Court

Earlier there were reports that the annual celebrations of Puri's Jagannath Rath Yatra 2020 could be cancelled for the first time in 284 years, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But the Supreme Court’s order on June 22, 2020 allowing the yatra to take place was a great step to show respect for the sentiments of a religion, yet it was a conflicting one too as there was too much risk involved with it.

The Supreme Court received a lot of petitions seeking review of its June 18 order annulling the famous Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Muslim boy named Aftab Hossen from Odisha’s Nayagarh was among as many as 21 individuals and organisations who moved to the top court asking to recall its order passed on June 18.

A three-judge Apex Court bench headed by CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde had said that at the time of the pandemic, such gatherings would not be possible. “Lord Jagannath will not forgive us if we allow the Rath Yatra this year... In the interest of public health and safety of citizens, Rath Yatra cannot be allowed this year,” the Apex Court had stated.

The court also mentioned that in 2020, the Rath Yatra would not be conducted anywhere in Odisha to prevent huge crowd that might spread the pandemic COVID-19.

In its order dated June 18 2020, the Supreme Court provided directions to the respondents, including the Odisha government, not to give any permission to hold the Rath Yatra before a writ petition by an NGO called Odisha Vikas Parishad was disposed of seeking a stay on the annual Rath Yatra to avoid coronavirus spread. The NGO had claimed that if the Rath Yatra is permitted then the multiplicity of COVID-19 contamination would increase. Given the condition of COVID-19 and seeing its seriousness, the Odisha government also decided to abide by the Supreme Court's order of not to holding the Yatra this year.

Later, Dibyasingha Deb, Chairman of the Shree Jagannatha Temple Managing Committee, Puri wrote to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asking him to take appropriate steps to ensure that the state government approaches the Supreme Court immediately for a partial amendment of its order of 18 June in order to allow Rath Yatra in Puri.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told the court that the Rath Yatra would be performed without a congregation of devotees, and will use the help of 800 sevayats, all of whom have screened negative for the infection.

Modified Order of Supreme Court

On June 22, 2020, the Supreme Court modified its earlier order and permitted the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra to be conducted in Odisha’s Puri with the cooperation of the Temple Committee, State and Central Government, without compromising with the health issue relating to COVID-19. 

The three-judge bench while delivering its modified order, said, “if it is possible to ensure that there is no public attendance, we see no reason why the Rath Yatra cannot be conducted safely along its usual route from temple to temple. Having given serious consideration to the matter and having heard the parties, we are of the view that the Rath Yatra at Puri may be held.”

The instructions that were provided by the Apex Court in its order were:

  1. “Rath, i.e, Chariot, shall be pulled by not more than 500 persons. Each of those 500 persons shall be tested for the Coronavirus. They shall be permitted to pull the chariot only if they have been found negative. The number 500 shall include officials and police personnel. There shall be an interval of one hour between two chariots. Each of those who is engaged in pulling the chariot shall maintain social distancing before, during and after the Rath Yatra.”
  2. “The State Government shall impose a curfew in the city of Puri on all the days and during all the time when Rath Yatra chariots are taken in procession. The State Government may also impose curfew in the city of Puri on such other days and during such time as deemed necessary. During the period of curfew, no one would be allowed to come out of their houses or their places of residence, such as hotels, lodging houses, etc. To start with, the curfew shall begin tonight at 8 PM.”
  3. “The bare minimum number of people shall be allowed by the Committee to participate in the rituals and in the Rath Yatra. We take note of the fact that the State of Orissa has a good record of having controlled the pandemic with a very little loss of life. We see no reason why the same attitude of care and caution should not be applied to the Rath Yatra.”
  4. “The primary responsibility for conducting the Rath Yatra in accordance with the conditions shall be that of the Committee in-charge of Puri Jagannath Temple Administration.”
  5. “Each member of the Committee shall be responsible for due compliance with the conditions imposed by this Court and the general directions which govern ensuring public health issued by the Union Government.”

The Yatra was held “smoothly and peacefully” on June 23rd, a day after the Supreme Court modified its earlier order and cleared the decks for the yatra, a sentimental issue for Hindus in several parts of the country. Rituals such as ‘Mangla Arati’ and ‘Mailam’ were kept before the ruling deities started out from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. Before the festival began, the temple premises and its surrounding areas were sanitized properly.

On the occasion of Lord Jagannath Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also greeted people, hoping it would bring good health and prosperity to everyone. He also tweeted, “My most cordial greetings on the auspicious day of Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. Jai Jagannath.”


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