रथ YATRA

The Puja

The biggest and the grandest of all festivals, the highlight is the the sacred journey of images of lord jagannath of puri with brother balabhadra and sister subhadra from main temple to Gundicha Temple, where they remain for nine days. The mammoth wooden chariots

carrying the three deities pulled by thousands of devotees present a spectacular scene. The yatra (journey) begins on the second day of the lunar month (asadha).

The rath yatra is also known as car festival. An annual festival commemorates the journey of Krishna from gokul to mathura.It also symbolizes a journey to light from the dark, which commences on the 2nd day of the bright fortnight in the month of Asadha (June/July). Lakhs of devotees converge to the city to join festivities lasting for nine days. In this journey, thousands haul the three huge rathas (chariots) carrying images of jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, down Grand road to the Gundicha Temple, just 2 km away in puri, orissa

Name of the Rathas

Lord Jagannata ->Nandighosh

Goddess Subhadra ->Darpadalana/Devirath

Lord Balabhadra ->Taladhwaja

The Festival

The chariot festival of puri in orissa India.In the first phase of the rituals, the Chandan Yatra, the Chalanti Pratimas (moving images) of the deities take a ceremonial ride in a boat in Narendra Tank for 21 consecutive days, after a refreshing bath in fragrant sandal wood (chandan) scented water. This is followed by Snana Yatra, Literally the festival of bath, in which the three are taken to Snana Badi, a bathing platform where the deities are ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of water. After which the gods are believed to convalesce inside the sanctum sanctorum and undergo treatment in which special ayurvedic medicine and some special liquid diet (sarapana) is offered to them. Closed to public view, during this period of 15 days, the pilgrims have to be satisfied with a darshan of images on the Pattachitra paintings hanged there.

Puri Ratha Yatra

The Ratha Yatra in puri actually takes place during the full moon of the following month, Asadha (June/July) in a spectacular riot of colour and noise. Designed like a temple sanctuary the immense chariots are draped with brightly coloured clothes. Lord Jagannath's chariot, 13 m, is the tallest and has 16 wheels each 2 m in diameter. Subhadra has a yellow face and rides in a red chariot. Balabhadra has a white face and

rides in a chariot with 14 wheels and 4 horses. Loud gongs announce the boarding of the deities onto the chariots with the arrival of the Raja of Puri accompanied by bejeweled elephants. The Raja sweeps the chariot with a golden bloom, fulfilling his role as the sevaka (servant) of the gods, a gesture symobolizing humility and equality with all castes. The procession is led by Balabhadra's chariot, followed by Subhadra,s with the Lord Jagannath's bringing up the rear, dragged by about 4000 honoured devotees to their garden house, the Gundicha Ghar. On the way deities are treated to special Cake, Podapitha offered at the shrine of goddess Aradhamsini (aunt or masi) of Lord Jagannath. Once the chariots reach Gundicha Ghar of Mandir, the deities give darshan to devotees every day. After a rest of 8 days, they return to Jagannath Temple with a similar procession. The festivities attract about 5-6 lakhs devotees to Puri each year. After the festival, the raths are broken and bits are used for firewood in the kitchens or sold to pilgrims as relics. New chariots are constructed each year to rigid specifications of make laid down in temple's ancient manuals. The assembled multitudes from all over India, the cacophony of music and percussion and the decorated chariots provide an unforgettable experience. Stories from ancient times, about some fanatics throwing themselves under the massive wheels of the chariots to die a death in hope of attainment of eternal bliss, abound.

Also known as Car festival, this spectacular chariot festival is celebrated in the month of Asadha, on the second day of the lunar fortnight that falls during June-July. Popularly known as Rathyatra, this festival is celebrated in the honor of Lord Jagannath who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The celebrated Ratha-Yatra festival is said to have started in the time of Svarochisha Manu of the second manvantara and is predicted to continue until the end of the second half of Lord Brahma's lifetime. Even in the Valmiki Ramayana, it is related that when Lord Rama was getting ready to leave this world; he told Vibhishan, Ravana's younger brother to worship Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the Iksvaku dynasty in His absence.

The Skanda Purana also fixes the date of the Ratha-Yatra as the second day of the bright fortnight if the month of Ashadha, a day called Pushyami Nakshatra by astrological calculations. The Padma Purana describes that in Purushottama-kshetra, or Jagannatha Puri, the supremely blissful Personality of Godhead pretends to be made of wood. In this way, although the Lord takes on what appears to be a material form, it is completely spiritual by the causeless mercy of the Lord for the conditioned souls who cannot perceive the transcendental domain of His.

On the day of the festival the wooden images of Krishna, Balrama and Subhadra are taken out in procession in three chariots to their summer temple for a week.

The main chariot is 14 meters high and 10 meters square with 16 wheels. The actual construction of the carts begins two months before the festival day, on the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha (April-May). More than 600 trees, or 400 cubic meters of wood, are needed for the construction, taken from the local forests along the banks of the Mahanadi River. Using the same simple tools and procedures as they have for the past hundreds of years, once the basic elements are made, such as the wheels, the actual construction begins only a few weeks before the festival.

The ropes of the huge chariots are pulled by millions of devotees. In the ancient times, devotees would occasionally throw themselves in front of the chariot of Sri Jagananath, for it was believed that to be crushed to death under its sixteen wheels was to go straight to heaven. Since Sri Jagannath is a form of Vishnu and Sri Krishna, many of the rituals observed in Puri temple are associated with events in the life of Sri Krishna. Thus this annual car festival represents Sri Krishna's Journey from Gokul to Mathura.

Lord Jagannath, Goddess Subhadra, & Lord Balabhadra Photos