Ratha Yatra or the Chariot Festival is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath
held at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. This annual festival is celebrated on Ashad
Shukla Dwitiya. In 2014 it falls on 29 June. The festival commemorates Lord Jagannath's
annual visit to Gundicha mata's temple via aunt's home.
As part of Ratha Jatra, the deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra are
taken out in a procession to Gundicha Temple and remain there for nine days. Then the deities
or Ratha Jatra return to the Main temple. The return journey of Puri Jagannath Ratha
Jatra is known as Bahuda Jatra.
The Festival
Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the
streets of Puri called Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord
Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra to their aunt's temple, the Gundicha Temple which is
situated at a distance of 2 km from their temple. This is the only day when devotees
who are not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get
their glimpse of the deities. During the festival, devotees from all over the world go to Puri
with an earnest desire to help pull the Lords' chariots with the help of other priests pulling
the chariots with ropes. They consider this a pious deed and risk their lives in the huge
crowd. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums,
tambourines, trumpets etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass
and add to the mass chorus. The Ratha carts themselves are some approximately 45 feet
high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event; the chariots are
built anew each year only from a particular type of tree. Millions of devotees congregate
at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. It is also broadcast
live on many Indian, foreign television channels as well as many of the websites telecast jagannath
ratha yatra live. Description
Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariot : Chariots of Shri Jagannath is celebrated every year
at Puri, the temple town in Odisha, on the second day of shukla pakshya of Ashadh Maas.
The presiding deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra
and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel are taken out from the temple precincts in
an elaborate ritual procession to their respective chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated
chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the
Gundicha Temple, two miles away to the North. On their way back from the Gundicha Temple,
the three deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple and have an offering of the
Poda Pitha, which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the Lord's favourite. After
a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode.
Holiness and Its Significance
The festival is also known as Gundicha Jatra, Ghosa Jatra, Navadina Yātrā, Dasāvatāra
Yātrā and by a variety of other names. Rathe tu vamanam drishtwa punarjanmam na vidyate:
A glimpse of the Vamana, the dwarf form, an incarnation of Lord Jagannatha, is sure to
ensure emancipation, release from the cycle of birth and death. Jatra is an essential
part of the ritual of the Hindu system of worship. Jatra literally means travel or journey.
Normally, it is the representative deities of temples more popularly known as Utsava
Murti in south and Chalanti Pratima or Bije Pratima in Odisha, partake in these journeys.
The Jatra for the Ritual Journey take two forms – one involving the short circumbulation
around the temple and other involving a longer journey from the temple to some other destination.
The Jatra is considered as an important part of festivities and ceremonies of each temple
and is considered as a special and sacred occasion. Rath Jatra being unique among all
Jatras is the grandest festival of the supreme divinity who has manifested himself in the
Kali Yuga to emancipate humanity and to relieve them from their sufferings. Lord Jagannatha
is identified fully with Krishna. In his original manifestation as Nilamadhaba, he was worshipped
in a sacred Nyagrodha Briksha or banyan tree. The branches of the tree had spread for several
miles and any one entering this area was instantly emancipated and was relieved of the travails
of the birth and rebirth. In fact, the influence of Yama, the God of Death, is supposed to
have been curtailed in the sacred city of Puri – Srikshetra on account of the presence
of Lord Jagannatha and therefore it is also called the Yamanika Tirtha.
A glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on the chariot is considered to be very auspicious and saints,
poets and scriptures have repeatedly glorified the sanctity of this special festival. The
sanctity of the festival is such that even a touch of the chariot or even the ropes with
which these are pulled is considered enough to confer the results of several pious deeds
or penance for ages. In fact, there is a famous Oriya song which says that on this occasion,
the chariot, the wheels, the grand avenue all become one with Lord Jagannatha himself.
The concept of the chariot has been explained in the Kathopanishada in the following words-
Atmaanam rathinam viddhi shareeram rathamevatu Buddhim tu saarathim viddhi manah pragrahameva
cha. The body is the Chariot and the soul is the deity installed in the chariot. The
wisdom acts as the charioteer to control the mind and thoughts.
The Skanda Purana glorifies the sanctity of the Rath Jatra in the following words-
Gundicha mandapam namam jatrahamajanam pura Ashwamedha sahasrasya mahabedi tadadvabat.
Those who are fortunate to see the deities of the Srimandira in the Gundicha Temple,
the final destination of the procession of the chariots, derive the benefits of a thousand
horse sacrifices, an immensely pious deed. Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja in his famous Vaidehisa
Vilasa mentions that the Lord comes out from his sanctum for participating in the Gundicha
Jatra, another name of the Festival of Chariots, only for redeeming the fallen, the patita
jana who get the opportunity to behold their dearest god at close quarters on this occasion.
Similarly, saint poet Salabega waxes eloquent in praise of the dark Lord Jagannath and says
that the Lord swaying and moving like a wild elephant arrives at the Grand Avenue and rides
his chariot and destroys in a flash all the sins of his devotees, even if these may be
grave or unpardonable. The Chariots
The three chariots of Balarama, Subhadra and Jagannatha are newly constructed every year
with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought
from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary
rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the
river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road.
The three chariots are decorated as per the unique scheme prescribed and followed for
centuries stand on the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. Covered with bright canopies made
of stripes of red cloth and combined with those of black, yellow and blue colours, the
huge chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the majestic temple close to its
eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion’s Gate.
Lord Jagannatha’s Chariot is called Nandighosa. It is forty-five feet high and forty-five
feet square at the wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is
decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth. Lord Jagannatha is identified with
Krushna, who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in golden yellow robes and hence
the distinguishing yellow stripes on the canopy of this chariot.
The Chariot of Lord Balarama, called the Taladhwaja, is the one with the Palm Tree on its flag.
It has fourteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter and is covered with red and blue
cloth. Its height is forty-four feet.
The Chariot of Subhadra, known as Dwarpadalana, literally "trampler of pride," is forty-three
feet high with twelve wheels, each of seven-foot diameter. This Chariot is decked with a covering
of red and black cloth – black being traditionally associated with Shakti and the Mother Goddess.
Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas, painted wooden images representing
different deities on the chariots' sides. Each of the chariots is attached to four horses.
These are of different colours – white ones for Balarama, dark ones for Jagannatha, and
red ones for Subhadra. Each chariot has a charioteer called Sarathi. The three charioteers
attached to the chariots of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra respectively are Daruka, Matali
and Arjuna. DESCRIPTION OF CHARIOTS
1) Chariot of Jagannath -NANDIGHOSHAKAPIDHWAJA
Number of wheels : 16 Total Number of wooden pieces used : 832
Height : 44' 2" Length and breadth : 34'6" x 34'6"
Wrappings : Red, Yellow colour cloths Guarded by : Garuda
Name of the charioteer : Daruka The flag : Trailokyamohini
The horses : Shankha, Balahaka, Suweta, Haridashwa The rope : Sankhachuda Naguni
Presiding Nine Deities : Varaha Gobardhan
Krushna, Gopi Krushna Nrusingha
Rama Narayan
Trivikrama Hanuman
Rudra
2) Chariot of Balabhadra – TALADHWAJA
Number of wheels : 14 Total Number of wooden pieces used : 763
Height : 43' 3" Length and breadth : 33' x 33'
Wrappings : Red, Bluish green colour cloths Guarded by : Basudev
Name of the charioteer : Matali The flag : Unnani
The horses : Tribra, Ghora, Dirghasharma, Swornanava
The rope : Basuki Naga Presiding Nine Deities : Ganesh
Kartikeya Sarvamangala
Pralambari Hatayudha
Mrutyunjaya Natamvara
Mukteswar Sheshadeva
3) Chariot of Subhadra – DARPADALANADEVADALANA
Number of wheels : 12 Total Number of wooden pieces used : 593
Height : 42' 3" Length and breadth : 31'6" x 31'6"
Wrappings : Red, Black colour cloths Guarded by : Jayadurga
Name of the charioteer : Arjuna The flag : Nadambika
The horses : Rochika, Mochika, Jita, Aparajita The rope : Swarnachuda Naguni
Presiding Nine Deities : Chandi Chamunda
Ugratara Vanadurga
Shulidurga Varahi
Shyamakali Mangala
Vimala
CAR Festival Chandan Jatra, the Sandalwood Paste Festival
The construction of the chariots starts on Akshaya Trutiya, the third day of the bright
fortnight of Vaisakha, with ritual fire worship. This takes place in front of the palace of
the King of Puri and opposite the main office of the Puri temple. On this day, the new agricultural
season starts and farmers start ploughing their fields. This day also marks the beginning
of the summer festival of the deities, also known as the sandalwood festival or Chandan
Yatra, which lasts for three weeks. In this festival, the representative images of the
presiding deities are taken out in colourful processions and given a ceremonial boat ride
in the Narendra tank everyday. In an interesting demonstration of the assimilative character
of the Jagannatha cult, Madanmohana and Rama Krushna, representing Jagannatha & Balarama
partake in the festival with the representatives' images of the presiding deities of five main
Shiva temples of Puri. These are curiously known as Pancha Pandava, the five brothers
of the Mahabharata story. Later the deities have a ritual bath in a small temple in the
middle of the tank, in stone tubs filled with water, sandalwood paste, scents and flowers.
This sandalwood festival culminates in the Snana Yatra, the Bathing Festival on the full
moon day of the month of Jestha. On this day, the presiding deities descend from their seats
on an elevated platform in the sanctum sanctorum, the bejewelled throne. They are bathed in
108 pots of water brought from the suna kua, the golden well and assume the elephant form
on the special bathing platform, close to the Eastern boundary wall of the temple. From
that day the deities remain in symbolic and ritual convalescence for about two weeks.
They are barred from view of the ordinary devotees. Only three special patta chitras,
traditional Oriya paintings of natural colours on cloth stiffened with starch, known as Anasara
Pattis, are strung on a bamboo screen hiding the deities from public view, can be seen
by the public. During this period, the deities are given only roots, leaves, berries and
fruits to cure them from their indisposition. This ritual is a reminder of the strong tribal
elements in the genesis and evolution of the Jagannatha cult. The progeny of Lalita, daughter
of the original tribal worshipper Biswabasu, chieftain of hunters, and the Brahmin priest
Vidyapati, are known as daitapatis or daitas. They have almost exclusive privilege of serving
the Lord during the convalescence and through the entire period of Ratha Jatra or the Festival
of Chariots. Suna Besha
After the chariots of the deities return to the main temple from the Gundicha temple,
the deities are attired in gold ornaments and worshipped on the chariots. This celebration
is known as Suna Besha. Tradition maintains that this event was first started by King
Kapilendra Deb in 1460 , when after returning victorious from war he donated gold to Jagannath.
The deities are adorned with gold jewelleries weighing nearly 208 kg. In 2014 nearly nine
hundred thousand devotees witnessed this event held on 9 th of July
The Ratha Yatra of 2014
The Ratha yatra in Puri of 2014 started on 29 June amid great fanfare and religious fervor
with tight security arranged by the authorities. The Indian Prime minister Mr Narendra Modi
greeting the people on the occasion of the Ratha Yatra tweeted “My warm greetings to
the people on the occasion of the rath yatras that would be held across India today. We
bow to Lord Jagannath on this auspicious day. Today once again He sets out on His chariot,
giving blessings to the people,”. More than a million devotees are expected to throng
Puri on the occasion for the festival that is watched by millions on television. The
Bahuda yatra or the return journey of Jagannath from Gundicha temple occured on 7 July and
was attended by more than 400,000 devotees International Ratha Yatra
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities of the world since
1968 through the ISKCON Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
successfully transplanted the festival which now happens on an annual basis in places all
over the world in over 100 cities including Lagos Nigeria Dublin, Belfast, Birmingham,
London, Bath, Budapest, Melbourne, Montreal, Paris, New York, Singapore, Toronto, Antwerp,
Kuala Lumpur and Venice, CA. The Rathajatra in Dhamrai, Bangladesh is one of the most
important in Bangladesh. Service offerings
Jagannath temple employs different kinds of sevakas who offer their services on the Ratha.
Suara: Mahasuara:
Dahuka: Ratha dahuka/Dahuka recite Dahuka boli) which are poetic recitations. Ratha
Yatra being a symbolic expression of fertility and Life cycle, these "boli" sung by the Dahuka
contain bawdy songs. It is believed that unless the Dahuka boli is sung 'Ratha' doesn't move.
These songs are sung publicly without any kind of hold on the lyrics. Dahuka controls
the movement of Ratha during the festival. Daita pati:
Puspalaka: Banati Players: Banati is an age-old art,
in which a person spins balls set on fire and tied to the ends of a rope. Every year
during the Rath yatra devotees perform "Banati" to appease Lord Jagannath. Knives and fireballs,
which are attached to the Banati add colour to the procession of the Lord as it reaches
its destination References
External links Ratha Yatra Festival
Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra Rath Yatra festival
Ratha Yatra PURI LordJagannath Rath Yatra, Puri, Odisha – Information
and Video Orissa government publication on the event
Rath Yatra 2013 in Ahmedabad