Even as it is yet to fully recover from the devastation caused by the cyclone Fani, Odisha is all set for the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, which begins in the holy city of Puri on Thursday. The state is expecting around 2 lakh devotees to throng the temple city during the week-long festival, which is over 30 percent more than last year. Usually that state welcome around 1.5 million devotees during the festival. “We are expecting the chariot festival to be low key this year as we are still recovering from the cyclone. However, we are fully prepared now and are expecting 1.5-2 million devotees at the festival,” tourism, sports and youth services secretary Visha Kumar Dev said.

Source: dna July 04, 2019 00:55 UTC