Puri to celebrate 2-day 'Rath Yatra' after 53 yrs, Prez Murmu to be present

The seaside pilgrim town Puri is all set for smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Yatra festival which will be a two-day affair from Sunday in 53 years.

Along with lakhs of devotees, President Droupadi Murmu is also scheduled to witness the Rath Yatra on Sunday. The state government has made special arrangements for her visit.

Officials said that the Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival which usually is organized in a single day. Some celestial arrangements have made it a two-day event which was last held for two days in 1971.

In a departure from tradition, some of the rituals related to the festival involving three sibling deities - Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra - will also be held in a single day on Sunday.

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.

The chariots will be pul