Bhubaneswar: For 68-year-old Odissi dancer Madhusudan Barik, rath yatra is the favourite time of the year.

Since the past 15 years, it has been a ritual for him and a few senior citizens from the state to gather at Puri and perform before the Trinity while they are carried from the temple to the chariots on the day of the festival.

"We love to delve into the devotion. Performing for the Lord under the open sky has its own charm. The darshan gives me a feeling that all of us are creations of the Lord and there is no difference among us with respect to caste, creed, sex, age or religion," Barik said. "On the day of the festival, we come together and perform before the Lord. Initially, there were three members in our troupe but gradually the number increased to 15," said Kanduri Charan a member of the group.

"The experience humbles me, makes me feel that the world is without differences. It makes me understand the true meaning of life," said Rajani Jena, an artiste from the Keonjhar district.

Various cultural groups are gearing up to perform during the rath yatra. For a number of young folk artistes from the state the festival is a platform to showcase their talents.

Odissi dancer Kumar Bhimsen, who has been accompanying the Trinity to the chariots since the past few years, says performing on the day of the rath yatra gives him satisfaction. "It is a wonderful feeling that cannot be replicated. I have been coming here since the past 10 years," Bhimsen said. Goutam Ray, a dancer who has been performing with Bhimsen, said: "For me, dance is a medium to get closer to the Lord. My focus is to acquire more knowledge on dance through dedication and practice to bring myself to a level when I will be sure enough to impart my knowledge to dance enthusiasts."

Ray performed with Bhimsen in 2015. "It is a peaceful feeling as one does not get such opportunities during the rest of the year," Ray said.