Gandhinagar, Jun 23 (IANS): Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday performed the 'Pahind' ritual before flagging off the Rath Yatra inside the premises of the the Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad following a High Court order.

The traditional procession was allowed only inside the temple premises.

The Gujarat High Court, following seven applications from various Hindu outfits and individuals and one from the Gujarat government, had an urgent hearing at around 1.30 a.m. Tuesday.

The High Court once again maintained its June 20 order on staying the traditional procession of Rath Yatra, which normally circumvents the old Ahmedabad city, with lakhs of devotees participating.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gujarat High Court decided to put a stay on it.

Following the order, the procession was carried out only inside the temple premises.

Prior to the procession. the 'Mangla Aarti' was performed at 4 a.m. in the morning, after which idols of Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and brother Balram were place inside chariots.

At 7 a.m., the ritual of 'PaHind' was performed by Rupani.

"Every year, on this auspicious day, the Lord takes his visit to the city according to the tradition. This year, we could not do so. Following the apex court's modified order on Odisha Rath Yatra, we had sought similar permission from the Gujarat High Court yesterday, but that was not granted. Expecting permission, we had also prepared for imposing curfew," he said.

"I congratulate Mahant Dilipdasji Maharaj of the Lord Jagannath temple and also the trustee Mahendrabhai and his associates, for coming out with a practical solution of having the procession inside the temple premises.

"May the Lord Jagannath free the country and Gujarat from the coronavirus outbreak and bless Gujarat with more and more prosperity. Today is also the the new year of Kutchi community. I wish the entire Kutchi community across the globe greetings for the New Year," he added.