Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024: How technology and AI modernizes and enhances the Rath Yatra experience

Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is an annual Hindu tradition celebrated every year on the second day of the Ashadh month as per the Hindu calendar. It is held in Puri, Orissa where locals and visitors come on the street to celebrate and offer prayers to the Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu. It is also known as the Chariot Festival as three gigantic chariots are made every year for the deities and decorated with colorful fabric, metal, carvings, and paintings. 

The Rath Yatra is the journey of Lord Jagannath on his chariot named Nandighosa, along with his elder brother Balabhadra's chariot named Taladhwaja and their younger sister Subhadra in her chariot Darpadalana.

The chariots are pulled by hundreds and thousands of devotees and worshippers from Lord Jagannath's temple to the Gundicha Temple which is approx 3 km away. It symbolizes the journey of Lord Jagannath with his siblings to his aunt's home. 

This journey is believed to have been written in the Puranas thousands of years ago and holds deep meaning and significance for the worshippers. 

The Rath Yatra will be fully supervised by high-technology gadgets and cameras by the police officials to ensure the safety and security of the public. 360-degree surveillance cameras integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) have been placed strategically to cover all the tracks of the yatra.  

The cameras will be live-streamed in the control room to avoid situations like a stampede.