Due of the Covid-19 epidemic, the nine-day Rath Yatra event in Odisha’s Puri was bereft of pilgrims for the second year in a straight. Only priests and officials who had been completely vaccinated and tested negative for Covid-19 were permitted to participate in the yatra.

“We celebrated the event today, we pulled the chariot. However, it is not the same without the devotees because even Lord Jagannath wants devotees to come to his temple.”

As the nine-day Rath Yatra celebration began on Monday, a priest at Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri said these remarks. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the yatra was empty of devotees for the second year in a row.

On Monday, at least 2,800 priests took part in the Rath Yatra in Puri, with just 800 officials allowed inside the temple. They could only go once they had been completely vaccinated and had tested negative for Covid-19. For the festival’s smooth running, at least 65 platoons of security personnel were deployed.