Puri

The journey of Puri's Jagannath Rathyatra to Ahmedabad is rooted in centuries of shared faith. Seen as a manifestation of Lord Krishna, whose final relic floated from Gujarat to Odisha, Jagannath was embraced by local Vaishnav traditions.

Three people died and over 50 were injured in a stampede during Rath Yatra near Puri’s Gundicha Temple. Odisha CM Mohan Majhi removed top officials, ordered an inquiry, and called the negligence leading to the tragedy “unpardonable.”

Three enormous wooden chariots bearing Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are pulled by throngs of worshippers during the Rath Yatra

As per schedule, the puja rituals will finally culminate on 17th January when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will walk through the Jagannath Puri temple corridor in the afternoon and officially declare it open for devotees.

The Shri Mandir Parikrama Project in Puri cost Rs 943 crore. The foundation stone of the project was laid in November 2021 and it will be inaugurated in January 2024.

Rathyatra celebrations in these two distant states are another example of how the states of India, despite diverse linguistic and cultural norms, are bound together by strings of Hindu tradition and spirituality.

The viral claim says Puri Shankaracharya practised untouchability against Dalit MP Ramshankar Katheria.

The Supreme Court has told in its verdict that there is no merit in the PILs filed, and such filing such petitions are a waste of judicial time. It added that such frivolous PILs need to be 'nipped in the bud' so that development work is not stopped.

There are a total of 240 registered hearths in the kitchen of the 12th century temple of Lord Jagannath.

In August 2019, the Odisha government had announced that all structures around a 75-metre radius of the Jagannath Temple's Meghanada wall will be removed to ensure the safety and integrity of the 12th century shrine. After initial PILs were filed against it, the Amicus curie appointed by the SC had held that the Odisha govt's action is legal and justified.