As the eastern state of Orissa swelters

As the eastern state of Orissa swelters under heat wave conditions, international sand artist Sudersan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture of Lord Jagannath, (R) his brother Balabhadra (L) and sister Devi Subhadra and the three chariots with an appeal against global warming on the eve of the Ratha Yatra Festival, on Golden Sea beach at Puri, about 65 kilometers away from eastern temple city of Bhubaneswar on June 23, 2009. During the Rath Yatra festival, wooden images or idols of Lord Jagannath, - known as the Lord of the Universe, one of the most revered and ancient of the deities of the Hindu pantheon - his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are mounted on ceremonial chariots and taken out in a procession. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. TOPSHOTS / AFP PHOTO / ASIT KUMAR (Photo credit should read ASIT KUMAR/AFP via Getty Images)