The rath yatra is the culmination of a series of celebrations spread over the summer and the monsoon.
The first ritual, Chhera Pamhara, is carried out once the deities are placed in the chariots. Performed by the king of Puri, the foremost servant of Lord Jagannath, it is the ritual sweeping of the chariots with a golden broom.
Chhera Pamhara proclaims that the king, like others, is but a humble servant of Lord Jagannath.
Left: Devotees pulling the chariots at last year's rath yatra
Photograph: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images
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