Chief Minister prayed for the peace, progress and prosperity of people of the state at Shri Jagannath Temple
Raipur, 1 July 2022/ Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel today performed the customary ritual of Chherapahra at Jagannath Temple premise in Gayatri Nagar, and commenced the ‘Rath Yatra’ by sweeping with golden broom. Prior to that, Chief Minister participated in the rituals of Yagyashala and offered prayers by circumambulating the ‘Havan Kund’. He performed aarti of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra at Sri Jagannath temple. Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel offered prayers at the temple for happiness, prosperity and progress of the people of Chhattisgarh. He also wished for abundant rainfall in the state.
It is noteworthy that Lord Jagannath is equally associated with the cultures of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. This festival of Rath-Dooj is an integral part of the culture of Chhattisgarh, just like Odisha. The tradition of taking out the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on this day is going on in Chhattisgarh for centuries. This connection between the Utkal culture and the culture of Dakshin Kaushal is unbreakable. It is believed that Lord Jagannath’s place of origin is Shivrinarayan-tirtha of Chhattisgarh. From here, he went to Jagannathpuri and established himself there. In Treta Yuga, Lord Shri Ram had accepted the sweet berries from Mata Shabri, in Shivrinarayan. At present the temple of Nar-Narayan is established here. Since Satyug, Shivrinarayan has been the ‘Triveni Sangam’ the confluence point of three holy rivers- Mahanadi, Shivnath and Jonk. In order to develop the places in Chhattisgarh, which are related to Lord Ram’s exile period, as tourism-pilgrimage spots, the government has planned the development of Ram-van-gaman-tourism-circuit. Shivrinarayan is also included in this scheme. The development and beautification of Shivrinarayan will further deepen the cultural connection of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Devbhog area of Chhattisgarh is also significantly associated with Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath moved from Shivrinarayan and reached Puri, where he established himself. Even then rice for his ‘Bhog’ was sent from Devbhog. The history of Bastar is also inextricably linked with Lord Jagannath. In 1408, King Purushottamdev of Bastar went to Puri to get blessings from Lord Jagannath. In memory of him, the festival of Rath Yatra is celebrated in the form of Goncha-Parva. Lord Jagannath is also seated in Podi village of Koriya district in Chhattisgarh and he is worshipped and reverred there as well.
Like Odisha, the offerings of chickpeas and moong are taken as Prasad of Lord Jagannath in Chhattisgarh as well. It is believed that this offering leads to a healthy life. Just as the Mahanadi originating from Chhattisgarh gives life to both Odisha and Chhattisgarh equally, in the same way the grace of Lord Jagannath has been blessing both the states equally.
