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Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. 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.
This annual festival is celebrated 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 (maternal aunt's home) near Balagandi Chaka, Puri.
As part of Ratha Yatra, the deities of Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra are taken out in a procession out of Jagannath Temple and placed in the Ratha which is known as Pahandi, then the Ratha pulled to the gate of Gundicha Temple; next day again in a procession the deities are brought inside Gundicha Temple, which is known as Pandi of Jagannath Deva, and remain there for nine days. The procession starts with 'Madan Mohan' then 'Sudarshana' Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannath Deva. Then the deities or Ratha Yatra return to the Main temple. The return journey of Puri Jagannath Ratha Jatra is known as Bahuda Jatra or Punar Jatra.
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 kms 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 pulling the Lords' chariots with the help of other priests with ropes. They consider this as auspicious. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, sounding plates of bell metal, cymbals, etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass and add to the mass chorus. The Ratha carts themselves are approximately 45 feet (14 m) 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 jatra live
History of Ratha Yatra
Ratha Yatra is the most popular and anticipated festival of the year in Odisha and means the festival (yatra) of the chariots (ratha).
The observance of the Ratha Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the twelfth century. Descriptions of the festival can be found in key Hindu texts such as Brahma Purana, Padma Purana and Skanda Purana.
Jagannath literally means 'Lord of the Universe' and is a deity worshipped in regional traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism in India and Bangladesh. Jagannath is considered a form of Vishnu by Hindus.
The idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are usually worshipped in the sanctum of the Jagannath temple, but once a year during the month of Ashadha, they are brought out to travel three kilometres to the Gundicha Temple, in three huge chariots, drawn by hundreds of people.
Fairs & Festivals in Odisha (Orissa) - With numerous religions, ancient temples, local shrines, tribes and an array of sacred places, Odisha (Orissa) observes uncountable number of festivals and fairs round the year. Major Odisha(Orissa) Festivals of Odisha is Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra and Durga Pooja. Three different religions flourished on the holy land of Odisha (Orissa) thus making it mandatory to celebrate various religious Odisha festivals with great fanfare. Odisha Cultural & Religious Festivals are very famous in india.
A land of varied cultures and traditions, Odisha (Orissa) automatically serves to be a land of festivals. Religion or folklores, tradition or agriculture and seasonal variations or ethnic dance forms; all serve to be a setting for the celebration. Odisha (Orissa) celebrates one or other festival every month giving an opportunity to the visitors and natives both to enjoy and have real fun.
With some of the special rituals attached to each, these festivals add bright colors to the landscape of Odisha (Orissa)'s cultural heritage. Some of the festivals of this land of Lord Jagannath are dedicated to His holy self. Some other festivals celebrated in Odisha (Orissa) find a close resemblance to a lot of festivals of North India; however they are called by different names and are even celebrated in a different fashion. But amazingly, every festivity centers around the prayer sacraments to seek the blessings of gods, exchanging goodwill, distributing sweets, decorating houses, wearing new clothes, music, dance and feasting. Whatever is the way, each festival really makes the country come alive throughout the year.
Apart from popular festivals in Odisha, these are many other regional festivals and tribal festivals are celebrated by Odia people at different regions, as example in Sambalpur (a district of Odisha) NuaKhai parab is very popular, and many other festivals are celebrated at different villages of Odisha. Tourist most of the time demand to include festivals tour in their tour packages, so Odisha Tourism created special Odisha Festivals Tour Packages for tourist.
