Devotees are willing to loosen their purse strings to watch the rath yatra from the best possible vantage point.

The rooftops around the Jagannath temple and along the rath yatra route were packed with devotees today. They stood under colourful shamianas watching the rituals.

Those who rented out their roofs for the day made a killing. Rooftop seats went for Rs 30 to Rs 200 depending on the building location.“Some people paid as much as Rs 5,000 for a seat,” said Pareshwar Panda of Puri.

“I prefer to pay and watch the rituals from the rooftop,” said Arindam Chauhan from Uttarakhand. Abhisek Basu from Calcutta said he was in favour of building owners making some money as they invested in erecting shamianas and chairs.

However, some Bada Danda residents allow devotees to observe the festival free of cost.