Ratha Yatra, also referred as Ratha Jatra or Chariot Festival is the most famous festival celebrated in Puri. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita and takes place annually on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month.)
The festival commemorates Jagannath‘s annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple (aunt’s home) near Balagandi Chaka, Puri. The significance of this annual festival can be known from the preparations that start well in advance as a huge crowd gathers in Puri on this holy day to catch the glimpses of their beloved Lord Jagannath.
Procession
The idols of Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra steps out the temple sanctum and are placed in three richly decorated Rathas. From the main temple they are taken to Gundicha or Mausi Maa temple, where they stay for 9 days, before returning back to Shree Mandira. The whole procession is carried out in a joyful mood with loud music, devotional songs, and chants praising Lord Jagannath. The devotees flock Puri from all over the world to participate in this auspicious festival with earnest desire to pull the chariots of deities and even the hot and humid weather could mar their spirits of rejoicing the annual festivity. Sudarshan Chakra is also part of the procession.
Different kinds of sevaks are employed to offer various services to Lord and his siblings.
The Rathas or Chariots
The chariots used to pull the deities are also considered very auspicious and every year new chariots are carved from 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 chariots are richly decorated as per the 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 Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosha. 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.
Ratha Yatra 2018
This year, Ratha Yatra is falling on 14th July 2018. If you are interested in attending this grand procession in Puri, then it is advisable to make bookings in advance and collect all the necessary information before-hand so that you do not face any problem later on. As it is a very popular and grand festival, thousands of people travel to Puri. During this time of the year, Puri becomes one of the most crowded places in Odisha. Therefore, we at Hotel Holiday Resort offer the best services to our guests and make all the necessary arrangements for their visit to Puri during Ratha Yatra festival.
Hotel Holiday Resort makes sure that your stay during this time of the year is comfortable and enjoyable too. Contact us for any further query regarding the festival, tour and accommodation facilities and services. We would be happy to welcome you during Ratha Yatra 2018 and cater all your needs on your stay in Puri.
Get details at www.puriholidayresort.com