Puri, Odisha, India - July 2, 2011: Preparations for decorating Lord Jagannath’s Rath for the Rath Yatra at Puri, Odisha, India.

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Puri, Odisha, India- July 2, 2011: Preparations for decorating Lord Jagannath’s Rath for the Rath Yatra at Puri, Odisha, India. The Jagannath rath yatra (chariot festival) is held in Puri, Odisha. This festival marks the travel of deities of Jagannath, Balbhadra and Shubhadra (Krishna, Balaram and Shubhadra) from the main Jagannath temple to nearby Gundicha temple. The travel takes form of a religious procession where the pilgrims join together to watch and pull the temple like chariots specially made for the deities. The chariots or temple cars are as high as 45 ft, heavily decorated with bright canopies. The festival has been celebrated since the days of ruling king and it still follows the tradition where the king sweeps and cleans the chariots.

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Size: 2848px × 4288px
Location: Puri, Odisha, India
Photo credit: © Anil Sharma / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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