Puri, June 26: It was 1.30am. Devotees, who had come from far-flung areas of the country to pull the chariots, were tired and asleep on Grand Road under the open sky. They had nothing to lose.

Even at midnight, thousands of devotees still thronged the pilgrim city to get a darshan of the Lord. Around 11.30pm, cops had left most of the traffic kiosks, including the one at Medical Square. As there was no one there to manage the traffic, it was a complete mess.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the road. "It's very difficult to cross the 10 metre junction at Medical Square. There is complete disorder on the road connecting Kumbharpada to Medical Square to the sea beach, which is about 2.5 km," said Ramakanta Behera, a business executive.

While traffic was in disorder, devotees continued to throng near the three chariots - Nandighosh, Taladwaja and Darpadalana - which were parked on the Bada Danda (Grand Road), on the way to Mausima Temple.

Compared to the evening the crowd had thinned out and there was less craze among devotees to take selfies with the chariots. "We zoom in the mobile and are able to get selfies with the deities mounted on the chariots from the ground. It's a clean picture," said Wing Commander Bikash Kanungo, who had come from Delhi to be witness rath yatra.

As there was a bar on devotees mounting the chariots, there were almost no servitors atop the chariots, giving a clear picture of the Lord from a distance.

Devotees were also seen doing live mobile video chat with relatives residing across the globe. This facilitated those living outside Puri to catch a glimpse of the Lords. "Thanks to technology. It's because of God's grace that I have been able to see Him through video call. It's a new experience," said Satyajit Mohanty, a computer professional who stays in France.

As thousands of devotees were still on Grand Road, the organisers were seen arranging bhajans (devotional songs) at night. Traditional form of folk art, including Daskathia and Pala, were also performed on the chariot street. "The atmosphere was electrifying," said Paresh Dalai, a septuagenarian.

In the middle of the night, a large contingent of sanitation workers also arrived to clean the Grand Road. But a sudden spell of rain was enough to wash away their effort. Those who were sleeping on Grand Road under the open sky also scurried for cover. However, the rain failed to dampen the spirit of the devotees.

Despite the rains, people continued to gather on the roads. "At least the administration should allow the devotees to touch the rath. So many restrictions should not be imposed. Here God comes out from the temple to mingle with the devotees, but the administration has tried to create a distance between the Lord and us," said Kiranbala Patnaik, 62.