Bhubaneswar: The pulling of the chariot of Lord Lingaraj on the occasion of Rukuna Rath Yatra at Old Town in the city was stopped midway after sunset.
The chariot pulling started at 4 pm, half an hour after the scheduled time, on Ratha Danda from Lingaraj Temple. Thousands of devotees had turned up to participate in the annual festival of Lord Lingaraj.
The chariot was scheduled to be pulled from Lingaraj temple at 3.30 pm to Mausima temple covering a distance of 2 km. The last rituals of the Rath Yatra would have been performed before 7 pm.
When the chariot reached midway at Tinimundia Chhack, the sun had set for which the pulling was stopped. It would be resumed tomorrow.
The deities would rest at the Mausi Maa temple for 4 days before their return journey or Bahuda Yatra on April 13.
It may be noted that the festival is being held with public participation after two years. It was cancelled in 2020 following the 21-day shutdown owing to the COVID-19 outbreak while only servitors were allowed to pull the chariot last year.
