Kolkata, July 3 (IANS) Amid chanting of "Hare Krishna", thousands of devotees Sunday pulled the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra during the annual Rath Yatra (chariot festival) organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) here.

 
 City mayor Sovan Chatterjee swept the streets with a gold plated broom to flag off the grand procession with deities astride three chariots at Park Circus Maidan in south Kolkata.
 
 The chariots then snaked through several arterial roads to reach the Maidan near Park Street in the city hub. The chariots will be worshipped there for the next seven days before making the return journey or 'Ulta Rath'.
 
 The Rath Yatra marks the annual journey of the three deities from their abode to their aunt's house.
 
 Local films stars and foreign tourists were among the devotees. Leading Bengali actors Jeet and Chiranjit also pulled the chariots while monks of the ISKCON order from various parts of the globe distributed prasad.
 
 Thousands of pilgrims also attended the Rath Yatra festival at Mahesh in Hooghly district. A few lakh devotees also gathered at Mayapur in Nadia district to celebrate the occasion.
 
 Month-long Rath fairs have started in various parts of the city, including Moulali in central Kolkata and Rashbehari in the south.