Click to play videoPuri: The Puri rath yatra will begin on Tuesday, which is when, according to popular belief, Lord Jagannath will come out on his chariot to meet his devotees.
The rath yatra, which began more than 1,000 years ago, is still conducted with as much fervour.
The rituals of the yatra begin on the snan purnima day, 15 days ahead of the procession, when the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are given a bath inside the temple.
It is believed that after the bath the deities catch fever and they take rest for the next 15 days and do not give blessings to anybody during this period.
"This a unique opportunity to see the Lord outside the temple.
This symbolises that for the Lord, all are equal and he wants to give blessings to everybody," explains a priest, Soumendra Mudali.
The three raths are then pulled by thousands of devotees through a three-km stretch.
The yatra ends at Gundicha temple, which is the birth place of the three deities. After resting there for the next seven days, they return to their temple in their chariots. This is called the Bahuda rath yatra.
A thousand years have passed but nothing has quite changed in the rituals of the yatra.
It is because of the originality and purity of its ritual, culture and tradition that the yatra has become so popular not only in India but also in 93 countries across the world.
"The preparation for the yatra starts six months before and all the temple priests, administration, non-government organisations and above all the devotees cooperate to ensure that it goes off smoothly," says Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bhubaneswar Range, Y B Khaurania.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
