Lakhs of devotees thronged the coastal town of Puri as the annual Rath Yatra festival got under way amid religious fervour on the morning of July 4. The three deities are taken out in a chariot procession called Rath Yatra covering a 3-km distance along Grand Road connecting Shree Jagannath Temple and Mausima Temple every year. The deities will return to Shree Jagannath Temple on the ninth day. A sand artist creates a sculpture on the eve of Rath Yatra festival, at a beach in Puri, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wished the people on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra.

Source: The Hindu July 04, 2019 06:35 UTC