Rathyatras pass off peacefully in Surat

The rally taken out by the Swaminarayan temple was in memory of the slain soldiers and to boost the morale of those still fighting the enemies in the Kargil sector. Other organisations that took out yatras on Wednesday included devotees of the Godiya Bawa Mandir, Lanka Vijay Hanuman Mandir, Jain Shwetambar Gopipura Sangh and Sagar Shanti Vikas Mandal.

The ISKCON Jagannath rally began from the ISKCON Mandir at Jahangirpura and passed through Rander, Athwalines, Station, Ring Road, Kamala Darwaja, Majura gate and concluded at the Ram Mandir at Rampura late in the evening. Thousands of people singing devotional songs walked down the route while a few volunteers pulled a giant chariot that had been erected for the purpose. Although spells of heavy rain continued throughout the route, the processionists carried on with full vigour.

The `Vijay Yatra’ taken out by the Swaminarayan Temple here was equally impressive. Beginning from the railway station, the rally passed through Bhagal, Chowk, Nanpura, Athwalines, Sardar Bridge and finally ended at the Swaminarayan Sankool at Adajan Patia.

Hundreds of schoolchildren wearing uniforms of the armed forces’ personnel and riding white mopeds were the highlight of the procession. The devotees apart from raising slogans for the Indian jawans, also sang praises of Lord Swaminarayan.

However, what kept the police on their toes was the procession taken out from the Lanka Vijay Hanuman Mandir, during which violence broke out last year. Primarily comprising migrant labourers from Orissa, the procession started from the mandir at Amroli and passed peacefully through Katargam, Kansanagar, Mehta Petrol Pump area and back to Amroli. The police had stationed `Vajra’ — the city police forces’ only riot control vehicle — at this procession. More than 2000 devotees took out the procession and finally immersed the idols in the river late in the evening.

Processions were also taken out by the Jain Shwetambar Gopipura Sangh in the walled city area of the city and by the Sagar Shanti Vikas Mandal, which took out the procession from Bharatnagar in Varachha and returned to the spot after passing through all major routes in the area. The city police control room stated that a couple of smaller processions were also taken out Dumas and other areas on the outskirts of the city.