The Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad

On Ashadhi Bij, Bhagavan Jagannath rides out from the Jagdish temple in Jamalpur in one of the largest Rath Yatras in India.

After Puri, the Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad is counted among the most famous chariot festivals of Bhagavan Jagannath. It sets out every year on Ashadh Shukla Dwitiya, known in Gujarat as "Ashadhi Bij", from the Jagdish (Jagannath) temple in the Jamalpur area of the old city. The temple is several centuries old, and the Rath Yatra here has been taken out since the later nineteenth century. Today it is one of the largest Rath Yatras in India, drawing lakhs of devotees.

The festivities before the yatra are also observed with devotion, such as the Jalyatra on Jyeshtha Purnima and the Netrotsav on the day before the procession. On the day itself, the mangala aarti is performed at dawn, and Bhagavan Jagannath, Balabhadraji and Subhadraji are seated in their chariots. Before the chariots move, the "Pahind Vidhi" is performed, in which the Chief Minister of Gujarat sweeps the path ahead of the chariot with a golden broom, a humble service that recalls the chhera pahara performed by the king at Puri. By tradition the chariots are pulled by young men of the Khalasi community.

Decorated elephants lead the procession, followed by akhadas performing feats of strength, bhajan mandalis and tableaux. All along the route prasad of mag (moong), jamun, cucumber, pomegranate and mango is distributed; the sprouted moong prasad is the special mark of this yatra. Around midday the chariots reach Saraspur, regarded as the Lord's mosal, his maternal home, where meals are served to pilgrims on a large scale. By evening the chariots wind back through the lanes of the old city to the temple.

Ringing with cries of "Jay Ranchhod, Makhan Chor" and "Jay Jagannath", the yatra is a celebration of the whole city's participation and of the Lord coming out among his people.

District

Ahmedabad