Last Updated:June 26, 2025, 09:13 IST

Rath Yatra is one of the oldest Hindu festivals marked by the grand chariot procession of deities--Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Devi Subhadra.

A Rath Yatra procession in Odisha's Puri (File)

Rath Yatra 2025: The holy town of Odisha’s Puri has been placed under heavy security cover for the upcoming annual Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession) which is scheduled to commence on Friday, June 27, 2025.

Rath Yatra is one of the oldest Hindu festivals marked by the grand chariot procession of deities–Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Devi Subhadra– as they travel from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2025: Date and Timings

The festival began on June 12 this year, with Snana Purnima, a ritual where the deities are bathed in a grand ceremony. After this, the idols go into a rest phase known as Anavasara, which lasts from June 13 to June 26. During this time, the deities are not seen by the public, as they are believed to be recovering from the sacred bath.

As per Drik Panchang, the Dwitiya Tithi begins on June 26 this year at 1:24 PM and ends on June 27 at 11:19 AM. That’s why the main Rath Yatra, where Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are taken out in grand chariots, will take place on June 27.

Security Intensified

As spiritual fervour soars, the entire town of Puri has been placed under a multi-layered security cover to ensure a safe and smooth conduct of the massive festival, which draws lakhs of devotees from around the globe.

To manage the massive footfall and maintain law and order during the Rath Yatra, nearly 10,000 police personnel will be deployed across the town.

The Odisha Police said advanced arrangements, including surveillance through Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras and drone monitoring, have been made to handle the expected crowd of nearly 15 lakh devotees.

Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania said that an Integrated Command and Control Room has been established in Puri for the first time. “Around 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras have been installed along the route between Uttara Chhak and Puri town and between Puri and Konark. The live visuals from these cameras will be monitored round the clock," he said.

The security personnel, including those of central armed forces, participated in a rehearsal to prepare themselves to handle the lakhs of devotees who will arrive in the town from every nook and cranny of the country and abroad to get a glimpse of the trinity.

Khurania said the AI powered surveillance system will keep watch on traffic movements, crowd surge and help security personnel make a prompt decision and face emergencies in case any happens.

Sub-control rooms have also been set up at key locations, the DGP said.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday (June 22) conducted a review meeting on security-related preparations and asked officials to make the Rath Yatra completely incident-free.

Sensitive locations, such as the Grand Road, will be under aerial surveillance by drones, CCTVs and the Coast Guard. The chief minister said that the government is putting in place foolproof security and safety mechanisms to ensure the annual festival remains “incident-free".

NSG Snipers To Watch The Procession From Rooftop

For the first time, NSG (National Security Guard) snipers have also been deployed on the rooftops of buildings given the threat assessment, while anti-drone technology and police-operated drones will also be in use for aerial surveillance, the DGP said, adding that anti-sabotage teams, bomb squads, dog squads are also in place.

Along with Odisha Police, eight companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. For coastal vigilance, the Marine Police, Indian Coast Guard, and Indian Navy are working jointly to monitor the sea front.

To ensure full proof security on sea front, arrangements have been made with deployment of Odisha’s Marine Police, Coast Guard, and Indian Navy.

Chatbot For Crowd Management

A real-time chatbot application has also been launched to assist visitors with information on parking availability, route maps, and directions to vacant parking spaces, Khurania said.

Expecting congregation of around 15 lakh people on the day one and two of the festival, DGP Khurania emphasised that priority will be given to proper service and security of the devotees.

“Extensive arrangements have been made for the orderly darshan of the devotees. Experienced police officers have been deployed for Rath Yatra duty," he said.

The Additional Director General (ADG) of Police (Modernisation), Soumendra Priyadarshi, said appropriate arrangements have been made to control the crowd.

ADG (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said that the cooperation of the officers/staff of the police administration is essential for the orderly completion of the Rath Yatra.

Odisha Police Caution Tourists About Fake Hotel Websites

Ahead of the festival on Friday, Odisha police also warned tourists of fraud related to online hotel bookings in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The police also said it removed 11 such sites as hotel booking scams are on the rise in Odisha, especially in places like Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Fraudsters create fake websites and social media pages that look genuine, offering cheap rates, urgent deals, and guaranteed bookings, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said in a statement.

The CID said the fake websites demand full payment and use fake customer care phone numbers and receipts to lure tourists. This is their modus operandi, it said.

“Many of these fake sites appear at the top of online search results, making them hard to identify and the victims often realise the scam only after reaching the destination," it said.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben... Read More

Location :

Puri, India, India

First Published:

June 26, 2025, 09:13 IST

Adblock test (Why?)