PURI, INDIA, July 14, 2007: The seaside temple town of Puri in Orissa is getting ready to greet over a million visitors who will be part of the annual Rath Yatra, starting July 16th. The construction of the three chariots, Deva, Dalan, Taladhwaj and Nandighosh is nearing completion and by Sunday afternoon all three chariots will be parked outside the main temple. Finishing touches are yet to be applied but the carpenters are relaxed because they have more time this year. “Ninety percent of the work is over and the rest will be completed without any problem. This year there were two Jyestha months, so we got an extra month do do the job,” said Bijay Mohapatra, chief supervisor, Nandighosh Rath.
The temple administration is expecting around a million people this year. But heavy rain has been forecast during the festival and officials are on tenterhooks. They say bad weather may reduce the turnout but it won’t spoil the show. “We hope there would not be much problem as far as pulling of the chariots is concerned,” said Binod Mohanty, Administrator, Puri Jagannath temple. Security this time is tighter than before but that has never been a concern for over a million visitors to the temple.