The Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra attracts devotees not only from India, but from across the world.
It is believed that the Rath Yatra is the only occasion when Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, emerges from the temple for his devotee.
During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra are carried from their home temple to another temple, located in what is believed to be their aunt's home.
IMAGE: Devotees seen during the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, here and below. Photograph: PTI Photo
Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: Artists perform a dance during the Rath Yatra in Puri. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at the Jagannath temple at Hauz Khas in New Delhi prior to the commencement of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Scenes from the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad, here and below. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
IMAGE: A devotee wears a Modi face mask during the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: A devotee's face painted with images of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra during the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
IMAGE: A devotee performs a stunt during the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
IMAGE: Another devotee performs a stunt with his motorcycle during the Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
IMAGE: Union Home Minister Amit A Shah and wife Sonalben Shah perform the Mangala Aarti at the Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: A devotee takes part in the Rath Yatra at the ISKCON temple in Surat. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren performs rituals on the first day of the Rath Yatra at the Jagannathpur temple in Dhurwa, Ranchi. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Devotees perform a dance in front of the chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra during the ISKCON Rath Yatra in Dhanbad. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty and others pull the chariot during the Rath Yatra at the ISKCON head office in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Mamatadi performs rituals during the Rath Yatra at the ISKCON head office in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Devotees take part in the Rath Yatra at Suri in Birbhum district, West Bengal. Photograph: PTI Photo
IMAGE: Guwahati MP Queen Oja and actress Aimee Baruah take part in the Rath Yatra in Guwahati. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Guwahati MP Queen Ojha and actress Aimee Baruah perform aarti during the Rath Yatra organised by ISCKON in Guwahati. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Devotees take part in the Rath Yatra in the old city of Lucknow. Photograph: ANI Photo
IMAGE: Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the BJP MP from Prayagraj, with other devotees pulls the chariot of Lord Jagannath during the Rath Yatra in Prayagraj. Photograph: PTI Photo
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com