17 June 2019


Braving heat of North India and bending rules, four elephants from Assam are set to start a perilous journey to Ahmedabad to add to the grandeur of the famous Jagannath Temple.

According to sources, the Assam Forest Department officials are in the process of completion of the formalities to send the four elephants, including two females to Ahmedabad.

The four elephants from Assam are being taken to Ahmedabad ahead of the Rath Yatra scheduled to be held on July 4 in Jagannath Temple.

As per traditions, elephants have the first glimpse of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra and lead the procession. The Chief Minister of Gujarat performs the Pahind Vidhi or the symbolic cleaning of the path for the chariot of Jagannath.

The Jagannath Temple, located in the Jamalpur locality of Ahmedabad, was established by Sadhu Sarangdasji about 450 years ago.

The temple is famous for its annual chariot festival, the Rath Yatra, which is the third largest after the Rath Yatra at Puri and Kolkata. It passes through different parts of the city of Ahmedabad covering a distance of about 14 kms.

Confirming the information, Ranjan Kumar Das, Conservator of Forest, Upper Assam told Northeast Now on Monday that the four elephants will be transported to Ahmedabad by train within the next 48 hours.

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