Termed as the oldest chariot festival in the world, ‘Ratha Yatra’ is a Hindu fetsival associated with Lord Jagannath, held at Puri in Odisha. The annual festival is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya meaning the second day in the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashadha which coincides with the Gregorian month of July. In 2019, Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra will be celebrated on July 4. The festival is actually Lord Jagannath’s annual visit to his aunt’s home which is Gundicha Temple near Balagandi Chaka in Puri.
The main attractions of the festival are the chariots which are beautifully decorated with motifs and paints and resemble temple structures. The making of the ratha begins on Akshaya Tritiya. The chariots are pulled using ropes that are 50 metres in length. As part of the festival, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra are taken out in a procession to Gundicha Temple. The siblings stay there for nine days.
The chariot of Lord Jagannath is called Nandighosa which 45.6 feet in height and has 18 wheels. The chariot of Lord Balaram is called Taladhvaja and 45 feet in height with 16 wheels. The chariot of Goddess Subahdra is called Devadalana and is 44.6 feet in height with 14 wheels.
The procession follows a similar pattern every year, Lord Balaram’s chariot is at the front, followed by Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath at the last. The distance between each chariot is 3 km. The return journey is known as Bahuda Yatra which halts at the Mausi Maa Temple on its way. The three deities are served ‘Podha Pitha’ as bhog. The food is basically a sweet pancake believed to be Lord Jagannath’s favourite.
