Lord Balabhadra’s chariot on the way back home from Gundicha temple on Friday. Behind it are the chariots of Lord Jagannath and Goddess Subhadra. Picture by Sarat Patra

Puri, June 29: Faith has trumped fear on the streets of Puri in the time of rath yatra, but devotees have not thrown caution to the winds either. Undeterred by the threat perception of a terror attack in Puri, lakhs of devotees lined Grand Road today, as the holy trinity embarked on their homeward journey. However, participation had dropped slightly compared to previous years.

Dhirendra Kumar Mishra, 28, a resident of the pilgrim town, had reached the Gundicha temple early in the morning to pull the chariots’ ropes. He appeared least concerned about the threat perception. “These routine terror threats cannot stop people from gathering here during such a big religious event. Lord Jagannath is the supreme deity of the universe and it is His will that we should be here. We are ready to face anything, even death,” said Mishra.

Businessman Jayanta Kumar Das, who is in his thirties, agreed that for those who were devoted to Lord Jagannath, there was no space for fear. At the same time, he said, the terror threat should not be dismissed offhand. “I have witnessed the Mumbai terror attacks and have read about attacks on religious sites by terrorist groups on several occasions. So, I must admit I did get a bit worried about the safety and security of my family members, who always participate in the rath festivities,” he said. However, Das said the participation of devotees at this year’s bahuda yatra had dropped.

“No doubt, fear is lurking in everyone’s minds. But when you see the elderly and the infirm turning up for this event despite security threats, it somehow reaffirms your faith in God. Like they say, feed your faith and your fear will starve.”

Sanjay Behera, another local resident, said the ocean of devotees on Grand Road proved that devotion was more powerful than fear. “We will never allow anything to come in the way of our devotion for the Lord.”

The district administration and temple officials said they had taken adequate measures to stamp out fear among devotees, who come to Puri from different parts of the country and even abroad. Temple chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said they had deployed 10,000 security personnel, including 107 platoons of police, two companies of Rapid Action Force, 600 officers and 6,000 home guards.

Additional director-general (law and order) Sanjeev Kumar Marik said vehicles parked illegally and for long durations were being thoroughly checked. The police have also pressed into service bomb disposal squads.

A senior security officer said the cops were going through a difficult time this season because of threats from militant organisations such as Lashkar-e-Toiba. “We have to stay alert 24x7. We have lost sleep for the last few days worrying about the security arrangements,” said the officer.