Ahmedabad Gears Up for Historic 149th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra; State Enforces 'Zero-Risk' Security

Ahmedabad is pulling out all stops for the 149th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra, which will take place this Thursday, July 16, 2026. The annual procession will follow its traditional route through the old city, drawing lakhs of devotees from across Gujarat and the rest of India.

To prevent any untoward incidents, the state government and Ahmedabad police have set up a massive security blanket. Over 31,000 police personnel are being deployed along the 16-kilometer route. Officers will monitor the crowd using 240 rooftop watchpoints, 65 drones, and over 2,800 body cameras.

Chariots, Trucks, and Elephants

The temple trust confirmed that the lineup for the procession is locked in. Eighteen decorated temple elephants will lead the march to clear the streets. Behind them, 101 trucks will carry cultural displays, 30 akhada groups will perform physical exercises, and 18 bhajan groups will play alongside three brass bands.

A group of 1,200 local sailors (khalaasis) will manually pull the three heavy wooden chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Brother Balbhadra, and Sister Subhadra. The temple has also invited more than 2,500 sadhus and saints from holy cities like Ayodhya, Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain, and Puri to join the walk.

Tons of Prasad Ready

The temple kitchen is working nonstop to pack the massive amounts of prasad that will be handed out to the public during the day. This includes:

• 45,000 kg of sprouted moong (green gram)
• 500 kg of jamun
• 500 kg of mangoes
• 400 kg of cucumbers and pomegranates
• 2,00,000 sacred stoles (uparnas)

Schedule and VVIP Visits

The main rituals begin on Tuesday, July 14, with the Netrotsav Puja, where priests will perform the traditional ceremony of covering the deities' eyes with a cloth. Several political leaders are scheduled to visit the temple over the next three days:

• Tuesday, July 14: Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, along with other state ministers, will attend the morning flag-hoisting ceremony.
• Wednesday, July 15: ICC Chairman Jay Shah will attend the temple as the chief guest for the elephant worship ritual (Gajaraaj Poojan) at 11:00 AM. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will perform a special evening aarti at 6:30 PM, followed by a Maha Aarti at 8:00 PM led by Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary.
• Thursday, July 16 (Rath Yatra Day): Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will perform the "Pahind Vidhi"—the ritual cleaning of the path with a golden broom—before pulling the first chariot to officially start the yatra.

Unsafe Buildings Blocked

Following a safety review, the Chief Minister ordered the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to secure old, weak buildings along the route. The city has put up green nets and tin sheets around dilapidated houses and banned people from standing on weak balconies to watch the procession. Local police have also held peace committee meetings with neighborhood leaders to ensure the festival passes off smoothly.