Religious processions are a significant part of various Hindu temples. The presiding deities or other representative deities or figurines are taken out of their sanctum sanctorums for a stroll around the temples or even out in the lanes of the city or village. One such highly revered procession in India is the annual car festival or the Rath Yatra of the Jagannath Puri, Odisha. Every year, more than a million devotees flock to this coastal city to have a glimpse of their beloved Lord and His siblings during the Yatra. Undoubtedly, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the car festival too, and for two consecutive years, the devotees, including the locals, were barred from participating in it. The temple, too, remained closed for most of part of these years. A lot of confusion prevailed over the continuity of the ritual during this period, so much so that the case was taken to the apex court. All this while, like everything else, the Gods, too, switched to global and national media and social media, and the Yatra was live broadcast by India's Doordarshan network on multiple platforms, including YouTube channels.
This paper utilizes the anthropological lens to record the significance of the Jagannatha Culture and the Rath Yatra. It discusses the feelings and sentiments of devotees pre and post-Court verdicts on conducting the procession and the popular opinions that emerged associating the pandemic-induced lockdown with a vital temple ritual called 'anabasara'. It also reflects the continuity of the institutional traditions with necessary changes and adaptations to the virtual mode in the wake of the pandemic.
