Bhubaneswar, Apr 5: On the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, thousands of devotees made a cue at the Lingaraj temple here to pull the chariot of Lord Lingaraj. The chariot is called the Rukuna Rath. It was pulled in local parlance amidst beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of conch shells. The chariot halted at the Tinimundia square yesterday and will be resuming its journey from today. Yesterday after completion of all the rituals the holy water from nearby Marichi Kunda was sprinkled on the chariot. Before the Rath Yatra began, the priests of Lingaraj temple brought the bronze images of all the three deities -Chandrasekhar (the incarnation of Lord Lingaraj), Rukmini and Basudeva and installed them on the chariot. Devotees by chanting hymns gathered for the annual sojourn and dashed with each other to have a glimpse of the deities. Deities travel a distance of about 2.5 kms to reach the Mausima Temple where they stay for five days. Also, tight security arrangements had been prepared for the smooth functioning of the festival. Steps have also been taken to ensure availability of water keeping in mind the prevailing heat condition.
