Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, who currently is in Ahmedabad, attended 'Mangla Aarti' at the Shree Jagannath Temple here on Sunday early morning.
Puri is all set to host the traditional cart festival of Lord Jagannath, popularly known as Jagannath Rath Yatra.
The Yatra marks the return on Lord Krishna to his place Vrindavan along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra.
A 5000-year-old tradition, the Jagannath Rath Yatra attracts a million of Hindu pilgrims from all over the country to come to the state and join the procession.
The Yatra is a journey of three chariots of deities, which cover a distance of three kilometers reaching the Shri Gundicha Temple. The deities are made to stay there for nine days, following which the chariots ride back to the Shree Jagannath Temple.
This year the festival starts from today with the return of chariots to take place on July 3.