Devotees throng capital as Jagannath’s Rath Yatra celebrated

The traditional Sri Sri Jagannath Dev's Rath Yatra, one of the major religious festivals of the Hindu community, was celebrated in the capital with a colorful procession and solemn religious rituals on Thursday.

The colorful chariot procession commenced around 2:30pm from the Swamibag ISKCON Temple. It paraded through Joykali Mandir, Ittefaq Crossing, Shapla Chattar, Dainik Bangla Crossing, Paltan, the National Press Club, High Court, Ramna Kali Mandir, Doel Chattar, the Central Shaheed Minar, Jagannath Hall, and Palashi Crossing, before successfully culminating at the Dhakeshwari National Temple.

Thousands of devotees and onlookers joined the grand parade. Organised by ISKCON Bangladesh, the procession marks the start of a nine-day festival. The day's proceedings began in the morning with an Agnihotra Yajna, where prayers were offered for world peace and human welfare, followed by an inaugural discussion meeting at the Swamibag ISKCON Temple auditorium.

Local Government Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the discussion meeting as the chief guest. The event was presided over by Nitai Swami, General Secretary of ISKCON Bangladesh.

Other prominent attendees included Bijon Kanti Sarkar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Ethnic Group Affairs; ABM Abdus Sattar, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister; Tapan Majumder, Vice Chairman of the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust; representatives from the High Commission of India in Dhaka; and leaders from the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad alongside various other religious and social organizations.

To ensure the safety of the massive gathering, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) put strict security measures in place. Police officials confirmed that patrol teams, CCTV surveillance, foot patrols, motorcycle mobile units, the Detective Branch (DB), and traffic police were deployed along the entire route of the procession. In addition to law enforcement, over 500 ISKCON volunteers actively worked to maintain order and discipline.

According to the organizers, the nine-day festival will conclude on July 24 with the return journey, known as the Ulto Rath Yatra. The reverse procession is scheduled to depart from the Dhakeshwari National Temple at 3:00 PM and will follow the same route back to the Swamibagh Ashram.