reign of king Kapilendra Deb
in 1430 and is particularly
popular. It happens in the
evening, from 5 p.m. to 11
p.m.
Niladri Bijaya/Bije: July
15;
Deities are placed
back inside
Jagannath Temple.
This spectacular chariot
festival celebrated for 8
days, is held at the famous
Jaganath Temple at Puri
(Orissa). Thousands of
devotees flock to Puri during
the occasion as they believe
that a glimpse of Lord Jagnath
in his chariot gives salvation.
Images of Lord Jaganath
- the Lord of the Universe,
his sister Subhadra and
brother Balbhadra are taken
out in a procession in three
immense chariots. The main
chariot is 14 meters high
and 10 meters square with
16 wheels. The deities are
brought out of the temple
to the chariots by rhythmic
movement called ‘Pahandi’
in a royal procession to the
accompaniment of the beat
of the ‘cymbals’ and drums
and chanting of prayers by
devotees.
The pushing and shoving
to seat Lord Jagannath on
his chariot continues for
hours. The god it seems is
testing the perseverance of
his devotees. The devotees in
turn coax, cajole, they promise
sweetmeats and other delicacies,
when all this fails they call the
Lord names and even give
blows to the idol, all the while
the surging crowd chants, sings
and dances. It is believed that on
these days Lord Jagannath will
descend from his pedestal and
mingle with his devotees with
no barrier between them. After
seating the idols, the traditional
King of Puri sweeps the Chariots
with a golden broom. When two months of
Ashadha fall in one year,
Rath Yatra is observed as
the festival of ‘Nabakalebar’
the old deities are buried
within the temple premises
(‘Koilibaikuntha’) and are
replaced by new deities,
carved out of Margosa
trees for which there are set
procedures. Double Ashadha
occurs at intervals of 8 to 19
years. Construction of the
chariots begin as early as
April.
Thousands of devotees pull these
chariots to Gundicha Mandir, a
temple 3 km away. After a week,
on ‘Ashadha Sukla Dasami’, the
10th day of the bright fortnight
of Ashadha (June-July), return
journey or ‘Bahuda Yatra’ of the
deities commences in the same
manner from Gundicha temple to
the main temple like Rath Yatra. One of the most awaited
festivals in the Orissa state
as well as in India, Jagannath
Rath Yatra is an annual
event, which is celebrated in
the month of June or July. I
hope this article has describe
the culture and tradition of
Ratha Yatra.
AUGUST 2019 | WWW.WISHESH.NET