Bhubaneswar: While thousands flocked to Puri to witness not just Bahuda Yatra — the return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra — on Friday but also the spectacular Suna Besha on Saturday, thanks to a long weekend, the streets of Bhubaneswar too were lined up with a similar crowd as the city celebrated the festival amid chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and beating of cymbals.Puri travel and tour operators said the footfall this time is around 30 to 40% more than previous years.While many devotees who arrived earlier for Rath Yatra have extended their stay, a fresh stream of visitors has checked into the holy city, pushing hotel occupancy close to full capacity.With many having planned their three-day weekend break well in advance, Puri witnessed a steady influx of devotees and tourists from Thursday night. “We had initially planned to attend only Rath Yatra, but when we realised there was a long weekend, we decided to stay back for Bahuda and Suna Besha. It gave us enough time to explore Puri and nearby attractions,” said Ritesh Sharma from Raipur.For many, Suna Besha remains the biggest draw. Ankita Dash, who travelled from Cuttack with her family, said the long weekend allowed them to witness the ritual without taking additional leave from work.Members of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha said Puri now has around 1,500 hotels, homestays and lodges, with occupancy in almost all of them hovering around 100% and last-minute room requests continuing to pour in. Association member and hotelier Raj Kishore Patra said around 50 hotels and lodges along Grand Road have introduced weekend packages priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000, including food and rooftop viewing of Bahuda Yatra.Local travel and tour operator Yugabrata Kar said improved infrastructure has made it easier for devotees to stay in Puri even if they do not have hotel, hostel or lodge bookings. “Those who cannot afford hotels or lodges have the option of staying in large temporary shelters (hangars) set up by the administration near the sea beach and railway station. Besides, around 16,000 toilets have been installed across the town, with dedicated personnel deployed to ensure they remain clean. Several voluntary organisations are serving meals and water round-the-clock,” he said.In Bhubaneswar, Iskcon’s Bahuda Yatra drew a huge crowd as its three chariots started rolling from Mausima Temple at Unit-8. “We started pulling the chariots at 3.15 pm and reached the Iskcon temple at Nayapalli by 6.45 pm, covering 2.2km smoothly,” said Radhakanta Das.At Sribani Kshetra, KISS, the pulling of the three chariots started at 4 pm, and the deities reached Jagannath Temple around 6.30 pm. More than 30,000 devotees from surrounding areas such as Pathargadia, Daruthenga, Sundarpur, Prasanti Vihar and Patia gathered to witness the Bahuda Yatra.Kolathia Jagannath Temple’s three chariots were pulled from Sudharma Ashram to the main temple. “We completed the rituals on time,” said Ajay Kumar Patnaik, secretary of the Jagannath temple committee.Meanwhile, a grand procession of the elaborately decorated chariot was held in Patia village. “We started pulling the chariot around 4 pm and it reached the temple around 6 pm,” said Kartik Prasad Tripathy, managing trustee of Patia Jagannath Temple Trust Board.Authorities made extensive preparations to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival. Police personnel were deployed at key locations, traffic diversions were enforced and emergency response teams remained on standby. Volunteers from various organisations assisted devotees and helped regulate movement along the procession routes.Bahuda Yatra was observed with equal enthusiasm at several Jagannath temples across the capital, including Jagamara, Sailashree Vihar, RCM, OUAT and Old Town. Residents decorated roads, erected welcome arches and organised bhajan programmes to mark the occasion.
