Puri: It was still raining at midnight but nothing deterred the spirit of devotees who came near the chariots to get a glimpse of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on their mounts.
Through the night, the entire stretch of Bada Danda from Shree Jagannath Temple to Gundicha temple - 2.5km - was dotted with servitors, devotees and roadside vendors.
While many with umbrellas were seen offering the prayers, others just didn't care and got drenched in the rain and the spiritual ambiance.
"With the Lord on the chariot almost drenched, I preferred not to carry an umbrella. It is different kind of experience to get drenched and mingle with thousands of devotees at midnight and offer prayers," said Natabara Sahu, 66, from Puri.
"Even at this age with a heart surgery, I preferred to mix with devotees coming to Puri at midnight. Whenever I see their devotion, I feel the energy that motivates me to move around Bada Danda on my motorcycle," said Sahu.
With thousands of devotees present in the area, the police personnel were on their toes through the night helping the people.
"No major untoward incidents were reported and the police deserves to be thanked for that. My family, friends and I were able to move on Grand Road late at night and offer our prayers to the deities," said Dillip Mohanty, 58, a businessman from Bhubaneswar.
One thing that attracted the attention of all was the dedicated work of the employees of the Puri Municipality who cleaned the Grand Road. A team of 250 municipal employees cleaned garbage from the road that included tea cups, plastic bags and other things left by the nearly 10 lakh people who had come on Saturday to witness the rath yatra.
"For the past eight hours, my team members and I continued to clean Grand Road. We did it because of our love and dedication for the God," said Babu Nayak. Nayak was paid Rs 400 for this job.
While the municipality and the other agencies attached to it were busy in cleaning the road, small roadside vendors, especially those selling earthen lamps, did brisk business.
"Rath yatra gives us the opportunity to earn. With the deities on the chariots, the devotees like to offer them diyas," said Kushani Jena.
Other small traders in the area are selling tea and snacks.
