Thousands turned up on Saturday to witness the famous Rukuna Rath Yatra of Lord Lingaraj of Bhubaneswar.

Despite the scorching heat, with temperatures hovering around 33°C, devotees congregated to pull the majestic chariot. However, as the ritual of pulling the chariot was delayed for two hours, it managed to move only about 200 metres from the 11th-century Lingaraj temple before halting mid-way. It will be pulled again later on Sunday.

The Rukuna Rath Yatra is believed to predate the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri. During the Rukuna Rath Yatra, devotees pull the 45-foot-high chariot every year. The chariot is drawn by the devotees from the Lingaraj temple to the Rameswar temple.

For the devotees of Lingaraj, the Rukuna Rath Yatra is believed to be the “Paap Binashakari Yatra”, one which eradicates evils and sins. It is the biggest festival in the temple city.

Legend has it that Lord Ram visited Ekamra Kshetra (Bhubaneswar) and stayed at the Rameswar temple as a guest of Lord Lingaraja in Tretya Yuga. When Lord Ram was returning from Lanka after victory over Ravan, Goddess Sita had requested to worship Lord Shiva here.