Puri's Rath Yatra: Historic annual chariot procession begins with no public attendance amid Covid-19

Bhubaneswar, June 23: The 143rd Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra also known as Rath Yatra in Puri will be taking place today in Puri, Odisha.

The Jagannath Ratha Yatra is a centuries-old festival which takes place in Jagannath Puri, India. It celebrates the return of Krishna (Jagannath) along with his brother and sister (Balarama and Subhadra) to Vrindavan.

Rath Yatra

Rath Yatra, or the chariot journey, celebrates the annual visit of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings -Balabhadra and Subhadra from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple to their aunt's place in Gundicha temple, 2.5km away.

Rath Yatra ritual

Three heavily-built wooden chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are traditionally pulled by thousands of devotees over a distance of three kilometres twice during the nine-day festival of the Trinity at Puri, as per PTI report.

Rath Yatra festival schedule

Rath Yatra festival is held over 10-12 days with lakhs of people participating. The festival was scheduled for June 23, the 'Bahuda Jatra' (return car festival) was fixed for July 1, as per PTI report.

SC permits Puri Rath Yatra to go ahead, but with riders

The Supreme Court on Monday permitted authorities to conduct the traditional Rath Yatra at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri. The temple committee, and the state and central governments have been asked to coordinate the event with necessary curbs to prevent the spread of covid-19.