Despite hailing from one of the holiest pilgrimage centres in India, Allahabad, I have always been fascinated by the holy town of Puri.

This is for the third time that I am attending the chariot festival, and every time, my excitement remains the same.

We have been the Lord's devotees since generation. We were brought up under the shadow of Lord Jagannath and have idols of the Trinity at our house and worship them daily.

One thing I regret about the festival is that devotes are no longer allowed to touch the Trinity. Although I understand that the decision aims to maintain safety of the devotees, but I have always wanted to hug him and never let go. So, when it comes to Lord Jagannath, emotions always overpower reasoning.

Not only rath yatra, I have also witnessed the bahuda yatra and the suna besha, which turns out to be my favourite ritual of the entire festival. The Trinity adorned in gold jewellery and accessories are so mesmerising.

But amid the devotion for this place, I must admit that situations often turn chaotic here, and the management fails to handle it properly.

My forefathers used to say that during their days having a crowd of one lakh people during the festival was more than enough, so it was easy to manage and the devotees were also allowed to touch the Trinity.

But these days, the number of crowd has increased manifold. Therefore, crowd management has emerged as a big issue. Having said that, we cannot shrug off the fact that Allahabad also hosts Kumbh Mela, which witnesses a huge turnout. So, there is need for better co-ordination among the administrative departments.

My faith started growing for the Lord after some of my wishes came true during difficult situations. All one needs to do is to have faith in him and everything will fall into place.

Every time I visit Puri, I make it a point to visit the temple. I feel nothing in this world is possible without his blessings.

What sets this car festival apart from the rest is the preponderance of children and elderly people taking part in it, lending the procession an amusingly unique charm.

The writer is a finance manager from Allahabad