CUTTACK: The Millennium city soaked in religious fervor on Saturday as Rath Yatra was celebrated with all pomp and grandeur.At least 20 Jagannath temples in the city celebrated the festival with fanfare. However, the major crowd pullers were the Jagannath temples located at Chandni Chowk , Dolamundai and Ranihat.Hordes of devotees thronged to these three temples to take part in the annual sojourn of Lord Jagannath , Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. While the celebrations at the temples.Braving the rains, hundreds of devotees gathered at Chandni Chowk, Ranihat and Dolamundai temples to pull the chariots.The rituals started in time and chariots were pulled smoothly at the three places.Devotees vied with one another to lay their hands on the sacred ropes and pull the chariots. The Ranihat temple authorities have spent Rs 20 lakh on Rath Yatra preparations. The holy trinity was taken out on the annual sojourn in a 23 feet high chariot.Chariot pulling at Chandni Chowk and Dolamundai was also carried peacefully. The cultural events like Banati , Odissi dance and Ghoda nach organized before the chariots at Chandni Chowk just added grandeur to the festivities.However, the highlight was the unique tradition at Dolamundai Rath Yatra celebration. At the temple, the chariot of Goddess Subhadra is exclusively pulled by women. Cladded in yellow sarees, hundreds of women pulled the chariot.“For last two decades, women have been pulling chariots of Goddess Subhadra at our temple. The tradition sends a strong message of women empowerment,” said Ranjan Biswal, local corporator. Rath Yatra celebrations passed off peacefully without reports of any eventuality from any place in the city.At least 17 platoons of police personnel were deployed to ensure safety and security of the devotees.

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