Puri. 3 devotees died after a stampede near Sri Gundicha temple in Puri, Odisha at 4 am on Sunday. All the devotees are said to be injured in this stampede incident. Many of them are in critical condition. The injured have been admitted to the hospital. According to the information, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were near Gundicha Temple. There, a large number of crowds gathered to see the three. When the chariot reached nearby, people moved fast towards them and there was a stampede at the same time. Many people were crushed by falling down under mob pressure.
#Watch Odisha: a stampede has been reported during the rath yatra in puri. Further Details Are Awaited.
(Visuals from outside the post-mortem center in puri) pic.twitter.com/4MOTNE6QTE
– ANI (@ani) June 29, 2025
The stampede in Puri has 2 women and one male among the dead. The names of the deceased women are Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu. Apart from these, 70 -year -old Premkant Mohanty also died in a stampede. They were all residents of Khurda district of Odisha. Every year in Puri, the rath yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra is taken out. Apart from the country, lakhs of devotees from abroad also come to attend the Rath Yatra. In the Rath Yatra, the three gods are placed on the chariots and taken from the Jagannath temple to Shri Gundicha Temple. Where after a few days, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are brought back to the Sri Jagannath Temple.
🚨 Breaking:
Tragedy strikes at #Jagannathrathyatra In Puri, Odisha – 3 people have died and at least 10 injured in a stampede near gundicha temple.
What was meant to be a sacred celebration turned into chaos.💔 Heartfelt Prayers for the Families of the Victims. pic.twitter.com/nNNC43USW35
– Sarcasm scoop (@sarcasm_scoop) June 29, 2025
This year, Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra started on 27 June and now it has reached the Shri Gundicha temple. It is believed that Devi Gundicha was the wife of the king of Odisha. It is said that seeing his devotion and service, Lord Jagannath appeared and told him that only a mother can serve her child so much. He then considered Devi Gundicha as his aunt. It is believed that Lord Jagannath told Goddess Gundicha that he will come to meet her every year. To complete this, the rath yatra of Lord Jagannath is taken out every year.
