Devotees carry the Lord in Puri. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Ashok Pradhan, 45, reached Puri with two big bags on his shoulder and the Lord’s name on his lips just past Saturday midnight. Wading through the sea of devotees, most of whom were fast asleep, on Bada Daanda (Grand Road), Pradhan’s eyes welled up as he stood before the three decorated chariots.

“I have been coming for the rath yatra since the past 11 years without fail. I don’t have money to book a hotel room for myself, so I will spend the night on Bada Daanda like the others. It is because of the Lord’s grace that I have been able to come this year too,” Pradhan, a mason from Balasore, told The Telegraph which was on the spot on Saturday night.

Like Pradhan, thousands of devotees from various parts of the state kept pouring in to Puri throughout the night. None of them seemed to care about comfort as they spread newspapers and towels and laid down to rest. Loud chants of a kirtan group, accompanied by the sound of cymbals, and bhajans sung by devotees resounded the ambience. They were all waiting for morning to descend and rituals for the car festival to begin.

“Since evening, we have been doing kirtan on Grand Road. We have not even taken a morsel of food. Only after seeing the Lords and the Goddess on chariots, we would eat,” said Raghab Das (51) from Berhampur.

On the other hand, some others were seen sweating it out, setting up barricades along Grand Road. “We have to complete cordoning off the area before dawn. The work has almost come to an end,” Gunanidhi Barik (32) said.

The workers of the temple were also busy decorating the chariots with fresh flowers. “We have to fix around 1,000 marigold garlands around the chariots and the entrance of the temple before dawn,” said one of them. A mechanised sweeping machine dusted the littered roads.

While most shops on Bada Daanda were shut, tea stalls and paan shops, which were kept open throughout the night, made brisk business. Many devotees were seen quenching their thirst with green coconuts being sold there.

Local police and the district administration were on their toes as the crowd swelled with every passing minute. Police regulated the movement of the vehicles and conducted thorough checks. They were also seen bringing down the unauthorised shops and an iron traffic post on Grand Road. “It is necessary to shift the iron structure, so that the chariots can roll smoothly,” said a police officer.

Jawans of the central paramilitary forces guarded the three chariots as several devotees relished the bewitching charm of the beautifully decorated cars parked near the entrance of the Jagannath Temple. The temple administration’s office was also kept open.

At Puri beach, several thousands were fast asleep. A few others were seen taking a stroll along the shore. “As we do not have any other place to put up for the night, we would stay here at the beach. It is just a matter of few hours before we get to Bada Daanda and catch a glimpse of the Lord,” said Kamalini Mahanta from Mayurbhanj.