Bhubaneswar, April 11: Braving the scorching sun, thousands of devotees turned up at the 11th century Lingaraj Temple today to pull the Rukuna rath on the occasion of Ashokasthami. The Rukuna rath yatra precedes the more famous car festival of lord Jagannath at Puri held in June or July every year.

“The rituals started at 4am after the temple gates were opened. People were allowed to have a darshan of the deities, called Sahan Mela, after 4.30am. Other rituals were performed accordingly,” said A.K. Pattnaik, executive officer of the temple administration.

After elaborate rituals, bronze images of three deities — Chandrasekhar (the representative of lord Lingaraj), Rukmini and Basudeva — were installed on the 35-feet chariot parked outside the shrine amidst loud beats of gongs, blowing of conchs and chanting of hymns.

This ritual called Pahandi, was supposed to be held at 12.30pm but was delayed by about two hours. Mythology has it that on this day, Ramayana’s Sita offered ashoka flowers to gods while she was confined in the Ashoka forest by Ravana.

Managobinda Mahasupakar, a priest at the Lingaraj temple said the Rukuna rath festival is older than the Puri car festival. “Lord Shiva was given this chariot by all the gods to kill a demon called Tripurasura. He was accompanied by goddess Shakti or Rukmini. So this is called Rukuna rath yatra,” said Mahasupakar.

Preparations for the rath yatra had begun yesterday with neta uchhaba (flag ceremony) when the chariot was ceremonially purified by the priests and a flag was fixed on the top of the chariot. The chariot was washed with holy water from a well called Marichi Kunda.

Then, the water was auctioned with the first pot of water being sold at Rs 45,000. It is believed that barren women can conceive after bathing with this water on the day.

As custom goes, the Rukuna rath never “takes a turn”. When the chariot returns after a five-day retreat at Mausima temple, the chariot is drawn from behind. The altar of the deities is only reversed. The Rukuna rath, thus, is also called analeuta (the chariot that does not take a turn).

Standing on buildings by the road, devotees cheered as the four-wheeled 35feet chariot, draped in yellow, red, white and blue cloth, rolled down the road called ratha danda. A fair was held near the Mausima temple on the occasion.

Police made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth functioning of the festival.

Fifteen platoons of police were deployed to maintain law and order and manage the crowd. The temple administration also had arranged drinking water for the devotees while fire brigade vehicles sprinkled water on the road on reduce dust.

Even devotees from outside the country had come to take part in the festival. Pintha, a tourist from Germany, who has been participating in this festival for last three years, said that she liked the way people braved the scorching sun and participate in the pulling of the chariot. “I like the devotion people show here to their god,” she added.