CM Baghel attends Rath Yatra Parv celebration

Raipur, Jul 12: On the occasion of Rath Dooj, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel worshipped Mahaprabhu Jagannath, Mata Subhadra and Lord Balabhadraji and performed customary rituals at his residence office. Baghel prayed to Mahaprabhu Jagannath for happiness, prosperity and health of the people in the state. Baghel extended warm wishes of the Rath Yatra festival to everyone.
While virtually attending the celebration at Jagannath Temple situated at Gayatri Nagar, Chief Minister had ‘darshan’ of Mahaprabhu Jagannath and attended Rath Yatra Mahotsav. On the occasion, Baghel said that Bhagwan Jagannath is connected with the cultures of both Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The tradition of taking out Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on this day has been going on in the cities of Chhattisgarh for centuries. This connection between the Utkal culture and the culture of Dakshin Kosala is unbreakable.
It is believed that the original place of Lord Jagannath is Shivrinarayan-tirtha of Chhattisgarh, from where he got established in Jagannathpuri. In Treta Yuga, Lord Shri Ram had accepted the sweet berries as gift from Mata Shabri in Shivrinarayan, where we have temple of Nar-Narayan at present. There has been confluence of three rivers in Shivrinarayan since Satyug and here Mahanadi, Shivnath and Jonk rivers meet.
In order to develop the places related to the exile period of Lord Rama in the form of tourism-pilgrimage in Chhattisgarh, the government is developing Ram-van-gaman-circuit and Shivrinarayan has also been included in this scheme. The development and beautification of Shivrinarayan will further strengthen the cultural connection of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Baghel said that Devbhog is also an important area associated with Lord Jagannath in Chhattisgarh. Even when Lord Jagannath left Shivrinarayan and got established in Puri, the tradition of sending rice for his ‘bhog’ from Devbhog was upheld.
He said that the history of Bastar is also inextricably linked with Lord Jagannath. In 1408, King Purushottamdev of Bastar went to Puri to get blessings from Lord Jagannath. In his memory, the festival of Rath Yatra is celebrated there as Goncha-Parva. The festival has gained popularity across the world. Lord Jagannath is also seated in Podi village of Koriya district in North Chhattisgarh.
Chief Minister Baghel said that this time is a difficult time for the entire world. COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of pain to all of us. We have lost a lot during the first and second wave of Corona. But the crisis is not over yet. Experts are warning us about the third wave of this pandemic. Baghel prayed to Lord Jagannath for protection from this crisis and this pandemic. He appealed the people to follow the rules of wearing masks, social distancing and sanitization while enjoying the Rath-Yatra festival. Only by following the rules will you be able to keep yourself and your family safe. Those who have not yet got the corona vaccine, they should get the vaccine as soon as possible, said Chief Minister.