The City Police Commissioner has granted permission for the festival after looking at the trust committee’s request. The procession will follow its original traditional route. At the front, there will be 18 decorated elephants. These will be followed by 101 trucks showing glimpses of Indian culture, 30 fitness and acrobatics groups (Akhadas), 18 singing groups, and 3 music bands. Around 1,000 to 1,200 sailors will pull the grand chariots alongside saints and devotees. About 2,500 holy men and saints from all over India—including Haridwar, Ayodhya, Nashik, Ujjain, Jagannath Puri, and Saurashtra—will travel here to take part.

The holy start of this cultural and historic festival is called the “Pahind” ceremony. The Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, will pull the chariot to officially start the festival. On the morning of the festival, right after the early morning prayers (Mangala Aarti), there will be traditional tribal dances and Raas Garba performances.

Food Offerings (Prasad) Preparations:

During the festival, volunteers will hand out 45,000 kg of sprouted moong beans, 500 kg of jamun berries, 500 kg of mangoes, 400 kg of cucumbers and pomegranates, and 200,000 sacred cloths (Uperna) as blessings.

-: Tuesday, 14th July 2026 :-

At 8:00 am, the main idols of Lord Sri Jagannathji, Subhadraji, and Baldevji will be placed on the jewelled altar inside the inner sanctum. The special “Netrotsav” eye-opening ritual and full worship ceremonies will take place. After chanting holy prayers, a sacred cloth bandage will be tied over the Lord’s eyes. At 9:30 am, the flag-raising ceremony will begin. The main guest will be Shri Jagdishbhai Vishwakarma (BJP President of Gujarat State). Other special guests will include Shri Harshbhai Sanghavi (Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Home, Police Housing, Jails, Law, and Justice), Shri Rishikeshbhai Patel (Cabinet Minister for Energy, Petrochemicals, Panchayats, and Rural Housing), Shri Jitubhai Vaghani (Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Farmer Welfare, Animal Husbandry, and Cow Breeding), City Mayor Hiteshbhai Barot, and other important leaders. At 11:00 am, a special event to honour the saints will take place, with Shri C. R. Patil (Union Minister for Water Resources) attending as the chief guest.

-: Wednesday, 15th July 2026 :-

• 10:00 am: Special viewing of the idols in their golden attire (Sonavana Darshan).
• 10:30 am: Blessing and worship ceremonies for the three chariots in the temple courtyard.
• 11:00 am: Special worship of the elephants. The chief guest will be Shri Jay Amitbhai Shah (Chairman of the I.C.C.).
• Special Guest: Shri Arjunbhai Modhwadia (Cabinet Minister for Forest, Environment, Climate Change, Science, and Technology, Gujarat).
• 2:30 pm: A visit by the Congress Committee.
• 5:00 pm: A visit by the City Peace Committee.
• 6:30 pm: Special prayers and worship led by the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel.
• 8:00 pm: Grand Evening Prayers (Maha Aarti). The chief guest will be Shri Shankarbhai Chaudhary (Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly).

-: Thursday, 16th July 2026 :-

• 4:00 am: Early morning prayers (Mangala Aarti) attended by the Chief Guest, Shri Amitabhai Shah (Home Minister, Government of India).

• 4:30 am: A special food offering (Khichdi bhog) will be served to the Lord.

• 5:00 am: The Lord’s favourite tribal dances and Raas Garba will begin. The cloth bandage over the Lord’s eyes will be removed while holy prayers are chanted.

• 5:45 am: The idols will enter their chariots.

• 7:00 am: The Chariot Festival officially begins.

For visitors coming to see the eye-opening ritual on 14th July 2026 and the morning prayers and departure on 16th July 2026, parking will be available at the APMC Market, the Jagannathji Temple elephant house (Hathikhana), and the school ground behind the elephant house in Jamalpur.

You can also watch the festival live online on the Sri Jagannathji Temple website: www.jagannathjiahd.org.

To help devotees living inside and outside Ahmedabad city see the festival easily, here is the timetable for the main locations.

-: Thursday, 16th July 2026 :-

Also Read:

Rath Yatra 2026: Complete Guide to ISKCON Processions