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Odisha’s Rath Yatra, is a significant Hindu festival celebrated primarily in the city of Puri to commemorate the annual journey of Lord Jagannath – a form of Lord Krishna, along with his older brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, to the Gundicha Temple about 2 kilometres away from the Sri Mandir. Occuring on the 7th of July this year, the day of the full moon in the month of Ashadh, what makes the festival special is the procession that pulls three richly decorated wooden chariots carrying the deities.
Pulled by thousands of devotees through the streets of Puri, the deities stay for about a week at the Gundicha temple – symbolising their maternal aunt’s house, before returning to their abode. Drawing thousands of devotees from all over the world, the chariot festival is celebrated with immense enthusiasm, and characterized by vibrant processions, devotional songs, rituals and a sumptuous spread of 56 traditional dishes prepared especially for the presiding deities.
Significance
The annual journey of Lord along with his siblings allows devotees from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, to come together and participate in pulling the chariots – symbolising inclusivity of the divine. In addition, the act of pulling the chariots is considered highly auspicious and is believed to cleanse the participating devotees of their sins. The ancient tradition, which dates back thousands of years reflects the faith of the masses who might’ve not been allowed to enter the Sri Mandir premises due to the prevalent caste system.
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Rituals
One of the most significant rituals that occurs once every 12 or 19 years is when the wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshana are replaced with new ones. Carved from a special kind of neem wood, the nabakalebara lets the old idols be buried in a sacred ceremony. Marking the beginning of the festivities 15 days prior to the actual chariot festival, is the snana yatra – where a ritual bath ceremony is performed publicly and the deities are bathed with 109 pitchers of water.
As per mythology, the deities ‘fall ill’ for the time period known as anasarca – where they remain shielded from public view until the yatra day. On the day of the main procession, the deities are then brought out of the temple and installed in their respective chariots, amongst plenty of fanfare. As the chariots begin to move, the Gajapati King of Puri, considered the first servant of Lord Jagannath, sweeps the chariots with a golden broom and cleanses the path to make way for the deities as a mark of displaying his humility and being equal to everyone else before the divine.
Throughout the course of the procession, devotees are seen chanting and singing songs dedicated to Lord Jagannath as well as making offerings of flowers, fresh fruit and sweets at various stops. Following their stay at the Gundicha Temple for about a week, the deities make their return journey to the Jagannath Temple – also known as Bahuda Yatra. Upon returning to the temple, the deities adorn a specially made golden attire for a ritual known as Sunabesha and follow it up with the Adhara Pana – or the offering of a sweet drink.
