The world-famous Ratha Yatra 2026 of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath, Mahaprabhu Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Chakraraj Sudarshana was celebrated today in Puri with immense religious fervour, devotion, and exemplary administrative coordination.
Despite persistent rainfall and inclement weather conditions throughout the day, the festival witnessed an estimated 8 to 9 lakh devotees from across Odisha, the country, and abroad, reflecting the unparalleled faith of devotees in the deities.
All the sacred rituals connected with the festival, including the pulling of the three chariots, were conducted smoothly and completed as planned.
Govardhan Peethadheeshwar Jagadguru Shankaracharya also visited the chariots and offered prayers.
The State Government made comprehensive and multi-layered arrangements for the successful conduct of the festival. Extensive planning was undertaken well in advance, involving all stakeholder departments, including Police, Health, Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Transport, Municipal Administration, Public Health Engineering, Energy, and other line departments.
Round-the-clock monitoring, deployment of adequate security personnel, extensive CCTV coverage, public announcement systems, traffic regulation, sanitation measures, drinking water facilities, emergency response teams, and medical infrastructure ensured that devotees could participate in the festival safely and conveniently.
Considering the unprecedented gathering of devotees and the continuous rainfall, instances of fatigue, dehydration, suffocation, and other minor health-related discomforts were reported during the course of the day.
During the festival, seven persons felt unwell and were immediately evacuated by the deployed personnel and shifted to hospitals without delay.
Among them, one male devotee aged above 60 years unfortunately succumbed. The exact cause of death is being ascertained by the concerned authorities.
Separately, in an unrelated incident, a male devotee aged above 35 years suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite immediate medical intervention, unfortunately passed away.
Many other devotees also became unwell due to rain-induced illnesses. They received prompt medical treatment at hospitals and were discharged after recovery.
The overall conduct of the festival remained peaceful, orderly, and well managed. There was no incident of stampede or any systemic breakdown of crowd management.
The coordinated efforts of the administration, security agencies, servitors, and volunteers ensured uninterrupted movement of devotees. The situation remained normal throughout the festival, with all essential services functioning effectively.
Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the servitors and thanked the lakhs of devotees for their patience, discipline, and cooperation, which greatly contributed to the peaceful and successful celebration of the festival.
The Chief Minister reaffirmed the State Government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that every devotee experiences the sacred festival with safety, dignity, and convenience through continuous improvement in infrastructure, public services, and administrative preparedness.