Jagannath Rath Yatra

~ ~ ~ Jagannath Rath Yatra Story ~ ~ ~

• One of the mythological legends has us supposing that when Lord Krishna departed from Earth; his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra tried to drown themselves in the ocean. At the same time, the ruling king of Jagannath Puri got a dream about the same and decided to build a temple to honour them. Apparently, Vishwakarma (The Divine Architect) himself carved the statues of this temple. He asked the King not to be disturbed while working and locked himself in a room. Months passed and the impatient king took a peek inside. At this, Vishwakarma vanished and left behind the incomplete statues of the deities. Nonetheless, King Indradyumna placed them in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. And the Temple has been sacred ever since. .
• Another story states that Krishna and Balaram's Uncle invited them with an evil intention of killing them. Rath Yatra is celebrated as the day Krishna and Balaram sat at in the chariots to proceed from Gokul to Mathura. Krishna and Balaram return victorious after getting rid of their wicked Uncle. Therefore, this occasion is a celebration of the journey where good defeats evil.

~ ~ ~ The Three Grand Raths ~ ~ ~

A sect of artisans known as the Maharanas have been making the Raths for the Yatra since decades, which takes a period of approximately two months to complete. And the wood is used from select trees located in a particular area. Three different Rathas are made every year for Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra using different specifications, dimensions and colours for each. The Taladhwaja chariot is dedicated to Balabhadra; Nandighosha chariot is dedicated to Shree Jagannath, and Devadalana chariot is dedicated to Subhadra.

~ ~ ~ Celebration and Significance ~ ~ ~

A bathing ceremony of the three idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra takes place around eighteen days before the festival. This is known as Snana Yatra. On the occasion of the Rath Yatra, devotees take a bath and head to the temple. The idols are places in the chariots by the residing king of the territory followed by an invoking ceremony. In the afternoon, the procession commences with a lot of pomp where throngs of devotees pull the chariot with thick ropes. A Maha Prasad feast is organised and offered to the Lord. There are a total of 56 dishes and therefore, it is called Chappan Bhog. The most astonishing fact about the prasadam is that it is cooked with several pots placed one above the other and surprisingly the one at the top cooks the first.

The Jagannath Yatra ends at Gundicha Mandir where the deities are placed in the temple for a couple of days. After which the return expedition to the Jagannath Puri temple is undertaken where the deities are returned in their new avatar. This journey is known as Bahuda Yatra.

Jagannath temple allows the entry of only orthodox Hindus to offer prayers in the temple premises. This event is a day where people from all caste and creed can take darshan of the revered deities. It is believed that Lord Jagannath has presented himself in this ‘yuga' to free humankind from misery. The real essence of this Yatra is that the individual submit himself entirely to the sarthi (in this case, God) and by doing so they will be able to traverse the bonds that keep them tied to their material existence. Simply put, it aids in the path of salvation.

~ ~ ~ Jagannath Rath Yatra Dates for 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 ~ ~ ~

The Tithi begins at 2:35 pm on the 5th of July and ends at 1:15pm on the 6th of July.