Thousands of devotees gathered in Puri, Odisha, on Friday to pull the return chariots of the deities during the Bahuda Yatra [1].
The procession marks the conclusion of the annual Rath Yatra pilgrimage. It signifies the return of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra to their primary temple after a nine-day stay at the Gundicha Temple [2].
The event began with the deities leaving the Gundicha Temple to travel back to the Jagannath Temple. This return journey is a central ritual of the pilgrimage cycle, drawing crowds who seek a final darshan, a glimpse of the deities, before they return to their sanctuary [3].
Security remained a primary focus for local authorities in Puri to manage the flow of people [4]. While some reports indicated that lakhs of devotees participated in pulling the chariots, other sources cited the attendance in the thousands [1, 5].
The Bahuda Yatra is often referred to as the "return-car festival." It serves as the spiritual bookend to the journey that began weeks earlier, when the deities first departed the Jagannath Temple for their temporary residence [6].
Devotees believe that pulling the chariots brings spiritual merit. The procession moved through the streets of Puri, guided by traditional rituals and strict adherence to the temple's historical customs [3].
“The procession marks the conclusion of the annual Rath Yatra pilgrimage.”
The Bahuda Yatra is more than a local festival; it is a critical component of the Jagannath culture in Odisha. By completing the cycle from the main temple to the Gundicha Temple and back, the ritual reinforces the connection between the deities and the public, maintaining a religious tradition that governs the social and spiritual calendar of the region.
