Despite the scorching heat and sweltering humidity, devotees are walking barefoot for miles on National Highway-316 to reach Puri in time for the Rath Yatra. Many are clad in T-shirts adorned with images of Lord Jagannath and covering their heads with towels, as they persevere through pain and sweat to show their devotion to the Holy Trinity.
Prashant Dash, a 26-year-old youth from Dhenkanal, is one of many believers who are not stopping until they reach Badadanda (Grand Road). His feet are blistered from walking barefoot on the newly-laid road to Puri, but his unwavering faith drives him forward. The devotees’ driving force is not only their devotion towards Lord Jagannath, but also their determination to pull the three chariots during the Rath Yatra.
The dedication of devotees like Biplaba Swain, the oldest member of a Sankirtan Mandali group from Radharaman Matha in Jajpur at age 73, is awe-inspiring. Swain, who plays ‘mardala’ and sings Jagannath bhajans while walking, is undeterred by the bruises on his feet. Despite the unforgiving sun, the group has persevered for two days thus far, with some of its elderly members undertaking the tedious journey to Puri from Radharaman Matha to participate in Rath Yatra for 10 years now.
Newlyweds Datatreya and Sukriti Pradhan from Bankura in West Bengal also walked to Puri from their village, swelling legs and all, to pay their respects to Lord Jagannath, Maa Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra on their chariots. This is our first year of marriage and we wanted to fulfil our vow of coming to Puri to pay obeisance, said Sukriti.
Meanwhile in Cuttack, Surya Narayan Nayak, a talented artist, carved out a miniature replica of Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosh chariot from a piece of chalk before colouring it with fabric colour. The 6 cm high and 2 cm wide masterpiece took him four days to complete. With no formal training, Surya pursued his hobby of carving delicate works of art from his childhood. He created the chalk art to show his love, relationship, and prayers for Lord Jagannath. I used needles and blades for carving the chariot, he said, expressing his desire to present the miniature chariot to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal.
