Lakhs of devotees from all parts of the country and abroad congregated in the temple town on Monday to participate in the annual world famous car festival, popularly known as Jagannath Rath Yatra.

The weeklong religious festivities began on Monday morning with traditional Pahandi Bije, the ritual of shifting the three deities - Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra – from the sanctum sanctorum of the main Puri temple to the three well decorated wooden chariots parked on the grand road.

This was followed by several other rituals including the important ritual of Chera Panhura, the token sweeping of the floors of the three chariots by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Dibyasingha Dev, with a broom having a handle made of gold. The ritual is observed to show the world that even the king is a servant of the Lord.

After the rituals, the three chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and sister Subhadra known as Nandighosa, Taladhawja and Debadalana, began their journey to Sri Gundicha temple, located at a distance of about 3 km from the main Puri temple. The chariots were pulled by devotees with the help of security personnel and other volunteers.

The deities will remain in the Sri Gundicha temple, considered to be their birth place, for 7 days before their return journey to the main temple, known as Bahuda Yatra, which will be celebrated on July 24.

The rise in the humidity saw a number of devotees fainting while witnessing the festival on the grand road, also known as Bada Danda. They were immediately rushed to the temporary health centres.

Unclaim box cause tension
Puri, DHNS: The colourful festival was by and large peaceful. However, tension prevailed in parts of the grand road for about an hour when an unclaimed box was located. Members of a bomb disposal squad immediately rushed to the spot and took the box away. The police are yet to disclose the contents of the box.