India, July 16 -- The world-famous annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and His siblings began on Thursday in Odisha's holy town of Puri with the sacred Pahandi Bije ritual, as the deities were ceremonially escorted from the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple to their respective chariots amid religious fervour and devotion.

The Pahandi ritual commenced ahead of the scheduled time, with Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Devi Subhadra being carried in a grand ceremonial procession accompanied by the resonating sounds of traditional musical instruments such as ghanta (gong) and kahali (trumpet).

Following centuries-old tradition, Chakraraj Sudarshan, the weapon of Lord Krishna, was first taken out of the temple...