The famous Chariot festival of Orissa state falls in the month of Ashada (June – July). The Rath Yatra is one of the oldest and biggest festival of India held in Puri, Odisha state.
During the rath yatra, the three deities (Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra) are placed in huge, decorated wooden rath/chariot at the main Puri Jaganath temple. The King sweeps the chariot in humility using a golden broom. Symbolic that all human beings are the same in the eyes of god.
They are drawn from the Puri Jaganath temple by thousands of devotees to the Gundicha temple. The deities reside at Gundicha temple for a week and then return to the Jagnannath Temple. The return trip is known as the Bahuda Ratha Yatra. On their way back to the Jaganath temple, the three deities stop visit Mausi Maa temple / aunt’s home and get an offering of the Podo Pitha. Podo Pitha is a special type of pancake, which is Lord Jaganath’s favorite sweet dish.
The main temple represents Dwaraka, while the Gundicha Temple refresents Vrindavan. This is symbolic of Sri Krishna (Lord Jaganath) returning from Dwaraka to Vrindavan.
The Ratha Yatra is mentioned in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Kapila Samhita. This grand chariot festival has been witnessed and documented by European travelers since the 13th century.
People from Odisha living outside Odisha celebrate the Rath Yatra in a beautiful manner in their communities. Creating Rath drawn by horses and placing exact replica of the idols in the rath brings the same devotion and love to Lord Jaganath.
Jai Jaganath!
