Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel during the inauguration ceremony of the annual ‘Rath Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath, at the Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on July 7, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath rolled out early on July 7 morning in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city where a large number of devotees flocked the procession route to pay obeisance to the deity.

The raths (chariots) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and his sister Subhadra are pulled by Khalashi community members as per the age-old tradition.

The Rath Yatra is taken out on the Ashadhi Beej (the second day of Hindu Ashadh month) every year.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah performed the ‘mangla aarti’ and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed ‘pahind vidhi‘, the ritual of cleaning the way using a golden broom, as the chariots rolled out from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur area.

A senior police official earlier said more than 22,000 security personnel will guard the event and some balloon-mounted cameras will also be deployed to keep a watch on the people’s movement.

As many as 4,500 personnel have been deployed to walk with the procession along the entire 16-km route while 1,931 personnel are managing traffic during the 147th edition of the annual Rath Yatra.

As per the decades-old tradition, the procession, led by chariots, would return by 8 pm after traversing different localities in the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas.

The procession usually consists of 18 decorated elephants, 100 trucks and 30 ‘akhadas’ (local gymnasiums).

Senior police officials will keep a close watch on the procession using 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room.

Besides, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations on the route.

Nearly 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers on the route will also be used for live surveillance, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik told reporters on Thursday.

To address any medical emergency, 16 ambulances and medical teams at five government-run hospitals have also been kept on stand-by, as per officials.

Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, in Gandhinagar, on March 11.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters met Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on March 11 and they discussed establishment of a joint committee to strengthen cooperation between the two sides.

The two leaders also discussed potential collaboration between Gujarat and New Zealand in education and other sectors. Mr. Peters showed interest in collaboration with Gujarat in fields such as agri-business, maritime coordination, food security, dairy farming, renewable energy, green hydrogen, and tourism, stated a government release.

“Chief Minister Patel told the visiting deputy PM of New Zealand that India’s new National Education Policy, unveiled in 2020, prioritises skill development, employability, and higher education,” the release said.

“The CM suggested that companies from New Zealand can consider leveraging the expanding digital ecosystem, particularly in fintech, at GIFT City in Gandhinagar,” it said.

“In the meeting, the Chief Minister said the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit’s success under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has solidified Gujarat’s status as the best destination for investment,” the release stated.

Mr. Patel said Modi is committed to nurturing India’s relations with nations across the globe as a ‘Vishva Mitra’ (global friend).

“The Vibrant Gujarat Summit, whose 10th edition was held in January, signifies a milestone as India is determined to become the third-largest economy in the world in the next few years,” the CM said.