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Jagannatha Rath Yatra – Introduction
The Jagannatha Ratha Yatra is an annual festival that is celebrated in Puri, Odisha during India’s rainy season. While Puri remains the chief centre of the ‘car festival’, the annual ritual has travelled to all corners of the world where the Lord is worshipped in the form of Jagannatha.
On the Dwitiya (द्वितीय – second day) of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon cycle) of the month of Ashadha (आषाढ़ – June-July), the King or Lord of the World – Bhagwana Shri Jagannatha comes out of his temple abode to mingle with his devotees. Jagannathaji, Balabhadraji (Balarama) and Subhadraji, mount rathas or chariots constructed with wood.
The three ceremonial rathas – Taladhwaja (green and red) carrying Balabhadra, Devadalan (black and red) carrying Subhadraji and Nandighosha (yellow and red ) carrying Jagannathaji are then pulled by thousands of ecstatic devotees on a 2-km long journey to the Gundicha Temple. Once the procession commences, the chariots never turn back. The fluttering canopies and the flags enrapute the hearts and minds of the devotees as they behold the Lord of all the worlds pass by.
Significance of the Yatra
The visual and culturally significant spectacle which gave the English language the word ‘juggernaut’ is a festival that transcends common barriers of class and creed and is in many ways symbolic of the atman’s (soul) journey of self-realisation.
जगन्नाथः स्वामी नयनपथगामी भवतु मे ॥
Distinguishing Features of the Chariots
The mesmerising and grand chariots in which the deities undertake their journey chariots are constructed every year as per tradition. However, the sarathi or charioteer, the horses, the kalasha or crowning element and parswa devatas follow a different cycle. These rathas are easily recognisable by their unique features.
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