Devotees immersed themselves in the devotional spirit during the nine-day chariot festival by hosting various cultural festivals.

Artistes in Bhubaneswar sang religious songs and hymns dedicated to Lord Jagannath and observed rituals associated with him at a three-day concert that concluded today. Titled Guhari, the event was organised by the Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre and witnessed devotees thronging Rabindra Mandap to be part of it.

The evenings witnessed renditions by both senior and young singers such as Siuli Ghosh, Aryan Routray, Suresh Sethy, Mitali Chinara, Bandish Palit and Sweta Mishra.

To mark the return journey of the Holy Trinity on July 14, a number of evergreen Odia bhajans in the praise of the Lord were sung. Soulful songs such as Bhikari Bal's Kotha bhoga khia mo chakaakhia, Arabinda Muduli's Bhagyethile Nagarjuna beshaku dekhiba, Sikandar Alam's Patitapabana bana au kete belaku and Nimai Harichandan's Patita janaku uddhariba paain udauachha pataka were performed.

"I could not go to Puri during the festival, but the singers sang so beautifully that I felt close to my Lord," said Dharitri Pattnaik, a member in the audience.

The devotional performances included popular renditions such as ashtapadi poems from the famous Geet Govind by Jayadev to Ahe Nila Saila, penned by a Muslim poet Salabega, a prominent devotee of Lord Jagannath.

Many well-known artistes such as Lata Ghosh, Shantilata Chhotray, Antara Chakraborty and Adyasha Das performed during the musical fest. Many instrumentalists also performed on the occasion as accompanists as well as for instrumental renditions of various devotional songs.

A number of cultural events are also being hosted in Puri. Tales related to the Lord reached overseas audience recently with popular bhajan singer Arabinda Muduli performing at a musical congregation in Singapore. He also performed at various events across the state during the festival.

From songs narrating the tales of chariot festival to the Bada Danda or the Grand Road, his compositions aimed at providing the audience a brief idea of the varied Jagannath culture.

Trained under Bhajan samrat Bhikari Bal, he said: "My guru used to tell me that one of the best ways to connect with the Almighty is through music. If the tunes touch the hearts of the listeners, they will be automatically reminded of the Lord."

A Bhakti Sangeet CD on Lord Jagannath featuring 30 songs was released by All India Radio (AIR), Cuttack, during the festival.