Rath Yatra: Famous India chariot festival goes ahead as coronavirus cases surge

India's famous Jagannath Puri chariot festival began on Tuesday celebrating Ratha Jatra amid a curfew and other coronavirus restrictions, although Hindu volunteers at the temple premises could be seen carrying idols and banging gongs while crowded together. The event in the southeastern city of Puri typically draws a million and a half devotees. It had previously been disallowed by the country's top court amid virus concerns but changed its mind on Monday. State police said the procession would take place, but without the devotees from the general public. Administrators are also being asked to keep track of procession participants, with only priests and the volunteers performing the rituals allowed. Anyone pulling a chariot had to have tested negative for the virus within the past 72 hours. The festival commemorates the annual journey in which devotees will take Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Lady Subhadra in specially made chariots to Gundicha temple, two kilometres away from the Puri temple, on June 23. There have been at least 425,282 confirmed coronavirus cases and 13,699 deaths in India as of Tuesday. For more info, please go to http://www.globalnews.ca Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews

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