States » EastPosted at: Jun 27 2025 5:13PM


Odisha: Servitors perform symbolic Rath Yatra at Baladevjew Temple

Kendrapara, June 27 (UNI) A unique Car Festival was observed today on the occasion of Sri Gundicha Day at the 300-year-old Lord Baladevjew Temple in Righagada in Odisha’s coastal Kendrapara district.
Keeping a nearly five-decade-old tradition alive, the temple managing committee and servitors marked the festival by drawing muruja (Rangoli) chariots in front of the deities—Lord Baladevjew, Lord Jagannath, and Devi Subhadra—inside the temple premises.
As per the tradition followed for the past 52 years, three symbolic chariots made with muruja (colored powder) are painted before the Trinity on Sri Gundicha Day. All rituals associated with the Rath Yatra are conducted inside the temple premises.
According to sources, the actual chariot pulling of Lord Baladevjew was discontinued due to declining public interest and the alleged indifferent attitude of the royal family and the district administration.
Earlier, the Rath Yatra was organized with great pomp and religious fervor, attracting thousands of devotees who participated in pulling the chariot.
However, the chariot pulling tradition was halted in 1972 when the temple authorities faced a shortage of devotees willing to pull the chariot, and the main road used for the procession had fallen into disrepair.
Following this, the royal family directed the temple trust to discontinue the construction of wooden chariots. Since then, the muruja (Rangoli) chariots have replaced the physical ones, with rituals being carried out in their symbolic presence, said Dambarudhar Padhi, the Badapanda (chief servitor) of the Baladevjew Temple.
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Tags: #Odisha: Servitors perform symbolic Rath Yatra at Baladevjew Temple
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