Ratha Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath (another name of Lord Krishna) held at Puri, in Odisha, India, during the months of June or July. This year, it will be celebrated on Sunday, 7th July 2024.
The Puri Ratha Yatra is world famous and attracts more than one million pilgrims every year, not only from India but also from the different parts of the world. Ratha Yatra in other words the Chariot procession is a festival that symbolises equality and integration.
The three deities, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra are worshipped within the temple. But on this festival, they are taken to the streets of Puri so that everyone can have their glimpse. The three deities make an annual journey to their aunt's temple (Gundicha Temple), 2km away from Lord Jagannath temple. The Jagannath Temple in Puri is one among the many sacred temples in India.
The festival begins with the invoking ceremony in the morning and the chariot pulling on the roads of Puri in the afternoon is the most exciting part of the festival. The three deities have three different chariots.
The chariot of Lord Jagannath, Nandighosha, has 18 wheels and is 45.6 feet high, the chariot of Lord Balabhadra, Taladhwaja has 16 wheels and is 45 feet high and the chariot of Subhadra, Devadalana has 14 wheels and is 44.6 feet high. Every year, wooden temples like chariots are constructed newly. The idols of these three deities are also made of wood and they are religiously replaced by new ones in every 12 years.
