"Special arrangements made for devotees," says Railway Minister Vaishnaw ahead of Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra

Addressing the issue of conveyance of devotees, he further stated that 315 special trains will run for the occasion.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "For the auspicious occasion of the Rath yatra of Lord Jagannath, special arrangements are being made by the railways. To facilitate the devotees of Maha Prabhu from the different states of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, at least 315 special trains will run, covering all the parts of Odisha."

The Railway Ministry is also working upon establishing a holding area for the staycation of almost 15,000 people.

Highlighting the preparations for devotees, the Minister said, "We are constituting a holding area for 15,000 people, along with the construction of toilet complex and temporary ticketing centre. We are making all possible efforts to ease the journey of the devotees."

Emphasising the number, Vaishnaw said, "The preparations are being made for a total of 15 lakh devotees. Devotees will come from around 25 districts of the state and we have arranged everything. Even, the President Draupadi Murmu, is coming to Odisha, we warmly welcome her."

Earlier, on June 22, thousands of devotees thronged Lord Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri on the occasion of Snana Purnima on Saturday.

Snana Purnima is a festival in Odisha in which Lord Jagannath, along with his siblings, is brought out of the sanctum sanctorum to Snana Mandap.

The deities undergo ceremonial baths on the special bathing platform with 108 pitchers of sacred water.

The deities are then adorned in Gajanana Besha, which means they are dressed to resemble Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity.

This is one of the rare occasions when deities are publicly visible, allowing devotees to get a close view ahead of the famous Rath Yatra.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also attended the Snana Purnima and paid obeisance at the Jagannath Temple. (ANI)