Japanese tourists with a miniature chariot to observe car festival in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

As the chariots of Lord Jagannath and His siblings draw lakhs of devotees to Grand Road on the occasion of car festival, quaint hand-painted raths are set to roll just 2km away on Chakratirtha Road.

A team of 25 Japanese tourists will pull the miniature chariots for the third consecutive year, courtesy the decade-old India-Japanese Friendship Centre.

Hidetoshi, who is visiting Odisha for the first time, said he had learnt about rath yatra from his friends and was eager to soak in the festive fervour. “My friends, who had taken part in the previous rath yatra, shared their experiences and photographs with me. And at that very moment, I decided to come to Puri and live the moments of spirituality and devotion,” said the 25-year-old.

The Japanese tourists have made small chariots about 4ft to 5ft tall and meticulously decorated them. “The Japanese, who follow Buddhism, are not allowed inside the Jagannath temple. So, they also have the apprehension that they might not be allowed near the chariots. Thus, with a little help from us, they construct the mini chariots and pull them,” said the centre’s president Srimanta Kumar Dash.

The Japanese men and women, staying at a hotel on Chakratirtha Road, have picked up words such as Hari Om and Jai Jagannath and will chant them while tugging their replicas of the chariots, they said.

Nyoko, a 30-year-old engineer from Japan, reached here five days ago and appears overwhelmed by the vast Jagannath culture. “People here are so religious. Lord Jagannath is the centre of their universe. Rath yatra is an occasion for local people to exhibit that love and devotion. It is so touching that we, as outsiders, are also getting an opportunity to share the same emotions,” he said.

As there are several similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism, most of these tourists are able to understand the nuances of some rituals. “We have visited a lot of temples in Odisha and other parts of India. While preparing the sculptures, we realised how they were different from other manifestations of the same deity, and gradually, we came to know about the history of Jagannath. It was more of practical knowledge in that sense,” said Hiromi, who was busy giving final touches to the chariots.