Jagannath Rath Yatra

The great chariot procession of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra at Puri, when the Lord Himself comes out of the temple to give darshan to all.

At Puri in Odisha, Bhagavan Shri Krishna is worshipped as Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, together with His elder brother Balabhadra and His sister Subhadra. According to the popular tradition, the Lord was pleased by the devotion of King Indradyumna and agreed to manifest in this form. The Rath Yatra is the occasion when the Lord Himself leaves the sanctum and comes out onto the street to give darshan to everyone, without distinction of caste or status. Devotees describe it as the Lord's journey to the house of His aunt, the Gundicha temple.

The Rath Yatra takes place on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya, which usually falls in June or July. Before it, on Jyeshtha Purnima, comes the Snana Yatra, the ceremonial bathing of the deities, after which the Lord rests in seclusion, called anasara, for about two weeks.

New wooden chariots are built for the festival every year. The chariot of Jagannath is called Nandighosha, that of Balabhadra is Taladhwaja, and that of Subhadra is Darpadalana. Before the procession begins, the Gajapati king of Puri sweeps the platforms of the chariots with a gold-handled broom. This rite, called Chhera Pahanra, shows that even a king is only a servant before the Lord. Then vast crowds pull the chariots with thick ropes all the way to the Gundicha temple. After staying there for about a week, the deities return to the main temple in the Bahuda Yatra.

In Gujarat, the Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad, which starts from the Jagannath temple at Jamalpur, is one of the largest in India, with decorated elephants, bhajan groups and akharas joining the procession. Through ISKCON, Rath Yatras are now also held in many cities around the world.

Tithi

Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya

Month

June–July

Places

Puri, Ahmedabad