Little bit about Ratha Yatra

Ratha Yatra is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July (Rainy Season). Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath (Krishna) with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area. The festival commemorates Krishna's return to His home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.

Usually the deities - Jagannath (Krishna), Baladeva and Subhadra are worshipped within the temple, but on the day of the Rath festival they are taken through the streets so that everyone can have the fortune of seeing them. Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra to their aunt' s temple (Gundicha Mandir) which is situated at a distance of 2 km from their temple. New chariots are built every year. 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 India go to Puri with an earnest desire to touch the rope of the chariot. 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, etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass and add to the mass chorus. The Rath carts themselves are some approximately 45 feet high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. It is also telecasted live on many Indian channels.

“Orissa was formerly known as Utkal. Long long ago there was a king, called Indradyumna who ruled over Utkal. He had a long cherished desire to build a temple but debated in his mind about the deity. One day he dreamt that there is a blue-colored Krishna, called Neelmadhab located in a cave of Nilachal Hill. Much of India at that time was covered with forests. No one knew for sure the location of Nilachal Hill. King Indradyumna sent his messengers to all directions until one of his trusted young men Vidyapati found the cave and saw the image of Neelmadhab. The king acquired the image and became too proud for his achievement. The lack of humility in the devotee made the deity disappear.

The king repented and prayed constantly. God took pity on Indradyumna and he heard a voice in dream. The voice asked the king to search for a wooden trunk on the shore which he can carve to make the idol. After a massive search, the trunk was found between the rocks which was then brought ashore for carving. But no one could make a scratch. The wood was as hard as granite.

One day a craftsman arrived from nowhere and told the king that he is willing to give a try. The king tried to explain what he wants and how the image of Neelmadhab should look. But the craftsman put two conditions before the king. Firstly, he will not take any dictation on how the image should look and secondly he should be allowed to work in a closed room for fifteen days without being disturbed. The king agreed. The craftsman was none else but Lord Vishwakarma, the God of craftsmanship.

After ten days, the queen was impatient. She tried to hear if anything was going on inside the closed room. The old man did not eat for ten days and there was no sound coming from within. She repeatedly coaxed the king to open the door, the king ultimately yielded. When they entered, the craftsman had already disappeared and the images were incomplete. The king was puzzled if the unfinished images should be enshrined. Finally he did install the incomplete images and worshipped them everyday.

The temple proudly stood for many years until during the course of time the land gradually subsided under the sea along with the temple and a beach was formed over it. For several generations, no one knew about the temple until it was accidentally discovered by the then ruling king, Gala Madhav. He ordered for an excavation and the temple once again came into existence. This is what you see today in Puri, the temple of Jagannath. “

Rath Yatra consists of two words: rath, meaning a chariot; and yatra, which means a pilgrimage, a journey or a procession. Accordingly, rath yatra describes a procession of chariots, generally drawn by horses. Vedic scripture speaks of Rath in various contexts, and in the epic wars of the Mahabarath, Rathas formed a major means of movement of warriors. There were many famous Rath Yatras in Hindu legend.
The english word Juggernaut also originates from the Jaganath Rath Yatra.
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities of the world since 1968 through the Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully transplanted the festival which now happens on an annual basis in places such as London, Paris and New York.


Ref: en.wikipedia.org