Lord Jagannath’s Netrotsav ceremony was celebrated with much enthusiasm today at Ahmedabad’s Jagannath Temple. Dignitaries including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President C.R. Paatil and state Home Miniter Harsh Sanghavi participated in the pious rituals.
During the Netrotsav ceremony, Lord Jagannath, his brother Balram and sister Subhadra are blindfolded. The blindfold is removed on the day of the Rath Yatra. It is believed that the three lords went to their maternal uncle’s place for fifteen days, where they are offered feasts of desserts and other rich dishes. They also consume tons of mangoes and jamuns, which are seasonal fruits. All these feasts have believed to have affected their eyes, which are swollen when they return home. As such, the devotees blindfold their eyes to treat them. Symbolically the three lords are being treated for conjunctivitis, which is easily spread during this season.
This year, 145th Rath Yatra is scheduled for July 1. Security during this day has been a major concern for Gujarat. Just yesterday, Sanghvi inspected the security arrangements along the route of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra on foot. Security departments, police, and even crime branch teams are working to ensure that there are no conflicts or clashes, or any other unpleasant incidents during the festival. The key priority is to maintain the safety of the devotees who will be participating in processions.
This year the scenario is extra sensitive what with the Assembly elections fast approaching and political parties sprawling around, campaigning in different districts. That said, police are also likely to take strong precautions in Ahmedabad as the festival of Eid falls just about ten days after the Jagannath Yatra. The officials were on high alert, earlier this month while surveying the security arrangements as Al-Qaeda too had threatened to attack India over Nupur Sharma’s controversial comments against Prophet Muhammad.
