Rukuna Rath reaches Mausima temple

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, April 8:

Finally, Rukuna Rath, the  35-feet tall chariot carrying the bronze statues of three deities-Chandrashekhar, Rukmini and Basudev- reached the Mausimaa temple amid fanfare as thousands of enthusiastic devotees in Odisha's capital city pulled it from the point near the Badheibanka Chhak where it was stranded on Monday.

Braving the heat and humidity, thousands turned up to witness the ceremonial journey of the deities from the eleventh century shrine Lingaraj temple to Mausimaa temple, located 2 kms away.

The chariot which was set rolling at 3.45 pm, reached the Mausima temple around 6.30 pm, sources in the Lingaraj temple administration said.

Later, the deities were taken into the ancient shrine amid the grand ritual of Pahandi.

The deities will stay at Mausimaa temple for four days.

The uniqueness of Rukuna Rath or chariot is that it never takes a turn like the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in Puri and that explains why it is called “ana- leuta” or something which never takes a turn.

When this chariot returns on the fifth day, after a four-day sojourn at Mausima temple, the chariot is drawn from behind. It is only the  altar on which the deities are place, which changes direction on the day of homecoming.