Kendrapara: Rath yatra was observed on Saturday at Tulashi Khetra, the abode of Lord Baldevjew with thousands of devotees taking part in the annual festival.

The divine triads were brought atop the chariot for the "pahandi" ritual. There was no march of the rath following local tradition.

Unlike the Puri Jagannath's chariot journey, the rath yatra here is a two-day affair.

The pulling of the chariot takes a day after the Lord Jagannath's rath yatra.

"The chariot's march goes on for two days as Baldevjew, being the Lord Jagannath's elder brother, holds an exalted place than his more famous younger brother. That's why Tulashi Khetra's chariot is not only taller but also wider in circumference that Jagannath's chariot in Puri," said Nrusingha Patri, a servitor.

"This practice has been going on uninterruptedly for ages. The administration, apparently to ease its burden, had tried to make it a one-day affair in the mid-nineties. But the step apparently invited Baldevjew's wrath with the wheels of chariot breaking and two devotees being killed in the process. Since then, the rath yatra here takes place over two days," Patri said.

The annual festival here is endowed with distinctive features and characteristics differing from that of the Puri car festival.