Bhubaneswar, June 26: Hundreds braved the torrential downpour to pull the chariots of the Holy Trinity as the siblings finally reached the Gundicha Temple after 3pm.

Lakhs of devotees gathered around the chariots of Lord Jagannath and His siblings outside the temple in Puri this evening to seek their blessings.

Lord Balaram's chariot Taladhwaj halted near Balagandi yesterday, while Darpadalana of Goddess Subhadra and Nandighosh of Lord Jagannath stopped near Bagala Dharmasala. The deities will be placed on janma bedi (birthplace) at the temple. The Trinity began their journey on their chariots from the Jagannath temple yesterday with thousands accompanying them to the abode of their aunt (mausi).

The deities will be taken into the temple in a ceremonial procession tomorrow. They will spend eight days at the temple before the return journey, bahuda yatra, on July 3.

Thousands of devotees have already thronged the temple site to catch a glimpse of the Trinity. "There is no better feeling than visiting the Lord under the open sky," said Akanksha Mohapatra, a visitor from Cuttack.

Baripada, Kendrapara and Dharakote also celebrated rath yatra today with the ceremonial chariot pulling.

In Baripada, the ritual of pahandi bije (bringing out the deities from the temple in a procession) was performed yesterday, while the chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were pulled today. Lord Jagannath's chariot will be pulled tomorrow. The Baripada rath yatra is unique in that only women devotees pulled the chariot of Goddess Subhadra.

In Kendrapara, devotees pulled the chariot of Lord Baldevjew, while the pahandi bije was performed yesterday. Muslims also gathered in large number to witness the rath yatra. In Dharakote in Ganjam district, devotees pulled the chariot today. The 20-year-old queen of the erstwhile Dharakote estate, Sulakhyana Gitanjali Devi, had performed the chhera pahara of the chariot yesterday.