Key Points

A devotee from West Africa, who had travelled to Puri for the Rath Yatra, expressed her joy at getting the opportunity to have "darshan" of Lord Jagannath on Friday. She also hoped for a chance to pull the Lord's chariot.

"This is my very first opportunity to witness the Rath Yatra in Puri. Yesterday, we only got the opportunity to have darshan of Lord Jagannath. But today, hopefully Jagannath will be kind, we will be able to pull his chariot as today is the second day", the devotee told ANI.

Another devotee, Gorangi, who has been living in India for the past 20 years, attributed her chance to take darshan to the "mercy" of Lord Jagannath. She described the Rath Yatra as a particularly special festival because Lord Jagannath comes out of the temple to bless His devotees.

"I have been living in India for 20 years. Yesterday was the first day of the Rath Yatra festival. Lakhs of people are coming. By the mercy of Lord Jagannath, I got to take his darshan. Today, I hope I will have the grace to pull Jagannath to Gundicha. This is a very special festival because Lord Jagannath comes out of the temple to see all his devotees and give his mercy", she said.

The Odisha Fire Services Department DG Sudhanshu Sarangi also spoke about the ongoing event. He mentioned that devotees often try to touch the ropes of the chariots while praying, which makes it difficult to pull them. However, he assured that everything was running smoothly with no security issues.

"Everything is smooth and we hope that with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and His Supreme will, everything will go smoothly today...The size of the crowd is increasing year by year, but today there is a little less crowd...It (chariots) is very happy. So, you need to drag with full muscle power. People are trying to touch the rope. If you touch it, the chariot will not move. We need to use full strength. Devotees try to touch and pray. We understand their sentiments but we need physical force to take the Lord, we will do it today. The security is smooth. There is no problem," Sudshanshu Sarangi said.

Earlier today, spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya also attended the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra celebrations in Puri, Odisha.

On this occasion, he expressed his devotion to Lord Jagannath, calling Him divine and emphasising that the Lord comes out of the temple to give 'darshan' to the devotees.

The grand annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced on Friday in Odisha's Puri, with thousands of devotees pulling the majestic chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. The event was marked by chanting, drumbeats, and an overwhelming sense of spiritual fervour.

- ANI