PM Modi greets nation on Rath Yatra

In a post on X, PM Modi wrote: “Greetings on the start of the sacred Rath Yatra. We bow to Mahaprabhu Jagannath and pray that His blessings constantly remain upon us.”

Meanwhile, elaborate preparations have been undertaken in Odisha's Puri, the epicentre of the festival, which hosts the biggest Rath Yatra ceremony amid tight security.

President Droupadi Murmu will also be present at the grand celebration in Puri this year.

Every year the three chariots of Balarama, Subhadra, and Jagannatha are newly constructed with wood of specified trees like phassi while the Jagannath Temple embraces more grandeur.

The artists and painters of Puri leave no stone unturned to make them appear grand as they decorate the cars and paint flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne.

Thousands of devotees have flock to the city just to get a chance to drag the Lord's chariot from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Mata's temple through his aunt's home (Mausi Maa Temple which is near Balagandi Chaka in Puri).

Jagannath is accompanied on this journey by his brother Balarama, and their sister Subhadra.

Three beautifully decorated chariots that resemble temple structures are pulled through the streets of Puri by thousands of people who consider it to be a pious activity to help Jagannath reach his aunt's residence.