The annual Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra began in Odisha's Puri on Sunday. This year, due to specific celestial arrangements, the religious event will go on for two days. President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the Rath Yatra in Puri, along with millions of devotees from across the country.
Usually a one-day religious event, the Rath Yatra was last held for two days in 1971. During the Yatra, rituals related to the Hindu deities - Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra - take place.
Also known as the Chariot Festival, the Yatra marks the Holy Trinity's journey to their maternal aunt, Goddess Gundicha Devi's Temple, and concludes with their return after eight days. Ahead of the Yatra, the chariots have been parked in front of the Lion's Gate of the Jagannath temple from where they would be taken to Gundicha temple where the Raths will stay for a week.
