Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra 2023: The Indian Railways will operate 857 special trains to Puri and back for the nearly 20 lakh pilgrims who are expected to arrive during the Jagannath Rath Yatra this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said on Monday. He further said that all arrangements have been made at Puri station for the devotees coming here for Rath Yatra.
This year, the Puri Rath Yatra will take place on June 20 and end on June 28, 2023.
“All arrangements have been made at Puri station for the pilgrims coming here for Rath Yatra. Around 20 lakh pilgrims (expected to come for the yatra) have been arranged for 857 special trains, Vaishnav said.
Rath Yatra Special Trains
The East Coast Railway said in a release on June 18 that Rath Yatra special trains would be run for passengers going to Puri during the nine-day festival. Special trains will be operated till June 30.
The special trains will be operated from various cities of Odisha as well as neighboring states like Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the East Coast Railway, trains will run from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Paradip, Gunupur, Sambalpur, Jagdalpur, Rourkela and Angul in Odisha and Visakhapatnam to Puri in Andhra Pradesh.
Visakhapatnam-Puri special train number 08901 will start its journey from Visakhapatnam at 2:30 PM on 19th & 27th June. It will reach Puri the next day at 1:15 PM. In the return direction, Puri-Visakhapatnam train number 08902 will leave Puri at 10:55 pm on June 20 and 28 to reach Visakhapatnam at 7:30 am the next day.
about Rath Yatra
The Jagannath Puri Yatra or the famous chariot festival of India holds immense significance for Hindus and is celebrated with great pomp and splendor in the state of Odisha. The festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, who is said to be a form of Lord Krishna along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. This yatra is the biggest yatra not only in India but in the world. Lakhs of devotees from all over the world gather in Odisha at this time to be a part of the grand festival.
The yatra involves the procession of Lord Jagannath along with his siblings in specially designed chariots, known as Rathas. These chariots are constructed for the yatra every year and thousands of devotees gather to pull it with the help of ropes. Rath Yatra is basically a journey from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha. The temples are situated at a distance of 3 kilometers from each other.