AMN/ WEB DESK
About 10 lakh devotees thronged Puri to catch a glimpse of deities on chariots on the occasion of the annual world-famous Rath Yatra in Odisha on Tuesday. This is the only time in the entire year that the devotees saw Lord Jagannath leaving the Puri Jagannath temple with his brother Balram and sister Subhadra. Three majestically decorated chariots carrying idols of deities were towed this afternoon from Puri Jagannath temple along the three-kilometre stretch of Grand Road on a nine-day sojourn to their aunt’s place, Gundicha Temple.
Despite all possible efforts, all three chariots were stopped on their way to Saradhabali as they did not reach their destination before sunset. The pulling of chariots would resume on Wednesday morning. The deities will stay at Gundicha Temple before returning to Bahuda Yatra on the 28th of June. Devotees from all walks of life have been making a beeline to the town since yesterday to catch a glimpse of the presiding deities of the 12th-century shrine of Sri Jagannath. Apart from India, this festival attracts a large number of international tourists to Puri.