Digha (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): The first-ever Rath Yatra at the Lord Jagannath temple in Digha is set to begin soon on a 1 km route on Friday.

ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharamn Das said the festival is inspired by the Puri Rath Yatra and added that West Bengal Chief Minister will join the event at 2 pm.

Speaking to ANI, Radharamn Das said, 'Digha Jagannath Yatra is inspired by Puri Rath Yatra. Here too, the chariots of the deities have been made similar to those in Puri. In a few moments, the Lord will come to his chariot, and the Rath Yatra will begin. The Chief Minister will come here at 2 pm.'

At ISKCON Kolkata, Lord Jagannath, along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Goddess Subhadra, is being ceremoniously taken to their chariots as part of the Rath Yatra celebrations.

A sea of devotees gathered outside the Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri as the grand annual Rath Yatra festival began today.

People from across the country arrived to witness the grand chariots of the three deities, Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister goddess Subhadra, at the Gundicha temple, where the deities reside for a week and then return to Jagannath temple.

Speaking to ANI, Pooja Anand, a devotee from Mumbai, shared her emotions while witnessing the yatra for the first time. 'I have come from Mumbai. It is an out-of-this-world experience. I have been a devotee for 20 years, but this is my first time here. It is a divine experience. I want to pull the chariot. This is one day of the year when the Lord comes out of his abode and blesses the 'jagat', the universe. Everyone should come here and seek blessings. The weather here is very pleasant. It rained all night,' she said. (ANI)