Ahead of the 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra on Ashadhi Bij, Ahmedabad’s traditional Jal Yatra began on Sunday, marking the start of the religious rituals leading up to the city’s iconic chariot festival. Thousands of devotees participated in the procession, which set out from the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur under tight security arrangements.
What is the Jal Yatra?
The Jal Yatra is a centuries-old ritual in which holy water from the Sabarmati River is ceremonially collected and brought to the Jagannath Temple for the ritual bathing (Jalabhishek) of the deities.
The procession travels to Somnath Bhudar on the banks of the Sabarmati, where priests fill 108 ceremonial kalash (urns) with sacred river water while chanting Vedic hymns. The water is then carried back to the temple for the ritual.
What happens during the procession?
The Jal Yatra includes several traditional elements that make it one of the most significant pre-Rath Yatra ceremonies:
- Lord Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balabhadra are placed on a decorated bullock cart
- Decorated elephants and horse-drawn carriages accompany the procession
- Kanwariyas carry 108 kalash filled with sacred water
- Akhadas perform traditional martial arts and cultural displays
- Devotees join in large numbers, offering prayers along the route
After returning to the temple, the sacred water is used for Jalabhishek of the deities, who later bless devotees with a special Gajvesh (elephant attire) darshan.
Special precautions after last year’s incident
Following last year’s incident, authorities have imposed a complete ban on drums, DJs, and loud music along the route after elephants were reportedly disturbed by loud sounds.
Additional measures include:
- Public access to elephants has been restricted
- Feeding of elephants has been strictly prohibited
- Three veterinary doctors, including experts from Kankaria Zoo and the Animal Husbandry Department, have been deployed to monitor the animals
Security arrangements in place
The administration has strengthened security to ensure a peaceful and incident-free procession:
- Over 500 police personnel and Home Guards deployed
- Full-scale security rehearsal conducted prior to the event
- CCTV cameras and drones monitoring the entire route
- Senior police officers supervising arrangements
Why the Jal Yatra is significant
The Jal Yatra is one of the key rituals preceding Ahmedabad’s annual Jagannath Rath Yatra. The ceremony symbolises the purification of the deities and marks the formal beginning of preparations for the 149th Rath Yatra, scheduled for July 16.