‘Nabakalebara Rath Yatra’ begins in Puri with much excitement

Puri, July 18 (ANI): More than two million devotees thronged holy town of Puri in Odisha to attend the annual chariot festival of the deities of the famed Lord Jagannath temple on Saturday. The annual festival, which has been celebrated for the past 1,000 years, attracts millions of visitors from across the world. Devotees pulled the three giant chariots, nearly 45 feet high, with thick ropes amid frenzied chanting of hymns. Security is much tighter this year as authorities are said to have received intelligence inputs warning of a potential attack. Police Inspector Ashish Kumar Singh said security has been beefed up across the city to avoid any possible mishap. Singh added that more than 10,000 police personnel were on duty in and around the venue of the festival. Devotees consider the pulling of the chariots with ropes a pious deed and risk their lives in the huge crowd. One of the devotees, Preeti Kalita who had come from Assam, said she felt blessed to be able to pull the ropes of the chariot.

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