Amit Shah Attends Mangla Aarti As Ahmedabad's 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra Begins: Watch
Amit Shah Attends Mangla Aarti As Ahmedabad's 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra Begins: Watch Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 09:21 IST Ahmedabad's 149th Jagannath
Amit Shah Attends Mangla Aarti As Ahmedabad's 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra Begins: Watch Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 09:21 IST Ahmedabad's 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra began with traditional rituals as nearly 15 lakh devotees gathered. Over 30,000 security personnel and AI surveillance were deployed. Rapid Read Amit Shah performs mangala aarti at Ahmedabad's Jagannath Temple ahead of 149th Rath Yatra. The 149th edition of Ahmedabad’s historic Jagannath Rath Yatra began early Thursday morning with traditional rituals, grand celebrations and one of the biggest security deployments ever seen for the annual event. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off the procession after performing the sacred ‘Pahind Vidhi’, the symbolic ritual of sweeping the path of the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Goddess Subhadra with a golden broom. Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur at around 4 am to attend the pre-dawn ‘Mangla Aarti’ before the idols of the deities were placed on their chariots. VIDEO | Union Home Minister Amit Shah participated in the Mangala Aarti of Shri Jagannath Ji Temple in Ahmedabad on the occasion of Jagannath Rath Yatra.#JagannathRathYatra #Ahmedabad(Source: Third Party) (Full video available on PTI Videos –) pic.twitter.com/Eiih77r9HT — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2026 At around 7 am, the three chariots rolled out of the temple premises, pulled by members of the Khalasi community, continuing a centuries-old tradition.
Around 15 lakh devotees are expected to witness the yatra at the temple and along its 16-kilometre route. The procession will pass through communally sensitive areas including Jamalpur, Kalupur, Shahpur and Dariyapur before returning to the temple at around 9 pm after nearly 14 hours. Stretching up to 1.5 kilometres, the grand procession features three chariots, 18 decorated elephants, around 100 tableau trucks, nearly 30 akhadas, religious congregations and about 20 bhajan mandalis. To ensure the yatra passes off peacefully, authorities have deployed more than 30,000 security personnel, including city police, Home Guards and Traffic Brigade jawans. According to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, the security arrangement includes nearly 1,100 senior officers, comprising 10 DIG and IG-rank officers, 42 SP and DCP-rank officers, 93 ACPs, 303 police inspectors and 673 sub-inspectors. Security has been further strengthened with 3,000 State Reserve Police personnel, five companies of the Rapid Action Force, four companies of the Border Security Force and three specialised Chetak commando teams stationed for rapid response. A multi-layered security grid has also been put in place.
The BriefWire