Thousands throng Puri as Rath Yatra of Holy Trinity gets underway

Amid frenzied religious fervor and spiritual passion, lakhs of devotees thronged the pilgrim town to witness the famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra at Puri on Friday.

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Devotional fervor took the centre-stage as followers of Jagannath across the state and other parts of the country braved sporadic drizzle to catch glimpses of the grand spectacle. It was a sea of humanity from all across the country and abroad as the majestic chariots marched on the grand road.

A multi-layer security net was thrown around to ensure smooth conduct of the festival. Al-powered CCTVs cameras were installed at various locations. National Security Guard (NSG) personnel were deployed to strengthen security arrangements along the Grand Road with State police, paramilitary forces, Rapid Action Force and fire brigade personnel remaining on high alert to counter possible exigencies.

Bomb squads, drone monitoring, and marine police surveillance besides aerial and sea-route vigil by coast guard added further vigour to the multi-layer security.

The grand ceremony of pulling the three majestic and colourfully decorated chariots on the "Bada Danda", the grand avenue, in front of the ‘Shree Mandir’ commenced as all the rituals were completed much before the scheduled time.