The chariot pulling for the return journey popularly known as ‘Bahuda Yatra‘ started here ahead of time.
The chariot pulling was originally scheduled to be held at 4:00 pm. However, it began at about 12.40pm. Lord Balabhadra’s chariot was first to be pulled following which chariots of Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath’s chariots proceeded towards the Srimandir amid religious fervour. All three chariots reached Srimandir at about 6pm.
Earlier, the Holy Trinity including Lord Sudarshan were taken out of the inner sanctum of Gundicha temple in ‘Dhadi Pahandi’ and were placed on their respective chariots. After that, Puri king Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb performed ‘Chhera Panhara’ – a unique ritual of the king sweeping the chariots with a golden broom with silver spokes. Then, amidst chants of ‘Hari Bol’ and sounds of gongs and conch, the chariots started rolling on the Grand Road – also known as Bada Danda.