RESPLENDENT RATH YATRA
Every year,
Jagannath Dev of Puri in Odisha along with his elder brother Balabhadra and
younger sister Subhadra travels on three different chariots from his temple to
his maternal aunt's house at Gundicha temple. Rath Yatra is organized every
year in Puri with great fanfare, in which lakhs of devotees from all over the
world participate. This year the Rath Yatra will be organized on 20th June.
Before participating in such a big event for the first time, this information
will be very useful for you.
ALL ABOUT RATH YATRA
Three
different chariots are made for Balarama, Shri Krishna, and Devi Subhadra for
the Puri Rath Yatra. In the Rath Yatra, the chariot of Balramji is at the
front, then the chariot of Goddess Subhadra in the middle, and the chariot of
Lord Jagannath Shri Krishna is at the back. It is recognized by their color and
height. Balramji's chariot is called 'Taldhwaj', whose color is red and green.
The chariot of Goddess Subhadra is called 'Darpadalan' or 'Padma Rath', which
is black or blue and red in color, while Lord Jagannath's chariot is called
'Nandighosh' or 'Garudhwaj'. Its color is red and yellow. The Nandighosh
chariot of Lord Jagannath is 45.6 feet high, the Taladhwaj chariot of Balarama
is 45 feet high and the Darpadalan chariot of Goddess Subhadra is 44.6 feet
high. All chariots are made from sacred and mature wood of Neem, which is
called 'Daru'. For this, a healthy and auspicious Neem tree is identified, for
which the Jagannath Temple constitutes a special committee. No nails or thorns
or any other metal is used in the making of these chariots. The selection of
wood for the chariots begins on the day of Basant Panchami and their
construction begins on Akshaya Tritiya. When all three chariots are ready,
a ritual called 'Chhar Pehanra' is performed. Under this, the Gajapati king of
Puri comes here in a palanquin and duly worships these three chariots and
cleans the chariot pavilion and the way with the 'golden broom'.
Rath Yatra
starts on the second date of Shukla Paksha of Ashadh month. Devotees pull these
chariots amidst the beating of drums, trumpets, and conch shells. It is said
that those who get the opportunity to pull the chariot are considered very
fortunate. Rath Yatra starts from Jagannath Temple and passes through Puri
Nagar, these chariots reach Gundicha Temple. Here Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra rest for seven days. The darshan of Lord Jagannath in the
Gundicha temple is called 'adap-darshan'. Gundicha Temple is also known as
'Gundicha Bari'. This is the house of Bhagwan's aunt. Mythological belief about
this temple is that it was here that Devshilpi Vishwakarma made the idols of
Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Devi. On the tenth day of the month of Ashadh,
all the chariots again leave for the main temple. The ritual of this journey of
returning the chariots is called Bahuda Yatra.
Being a tourist
destination, there is no dearth of hotels, lodges, and Dharamshala in Puri. But
devotees come not only from the country but also from abroad to participate in
the Rath Yatra. That's why at this time not only do the hotel rents become
exorbitant, but all the rooms in hotels, lodges, or Dharamshalas are also
booked. Hence, we advise you not to make any intention to check in at any hotel
or lodge while visiting Puri. Rather, book your hotel in Puri well in advance. During
the Rath Yatra, a huge crowd gathers on the roads due to which most of the
roads in Puri are closed. So, try to book a hotel which is on the way to
Rath Yatra. It would be icing on the cake if the hotel had verandas. Even if
you can't go out, you can watch this wonderful Rath Yatra from the verandas of
the hotel.
HOW TO JOIN RATH YATRA
The Rath
Yatra always starts only after 2 in the afternoon. So, if you want to pull the
chariot, reach the yatra site at least 2-3 hours before the yatra starts.
Otherwise, you will not be able to get to the desired place. For this, they left
the hotel at around 11-12 o'clock only after having food. Keep in mind, no
vehicles will be running on the route of the trip at that time. Therefore, it
is possible that you will have to walk from the hotel to the destination.
Lakhs of
people participate in the Rath Yatra. At that time everyone is busy celebrating and enjoying the Rath Yatra. That's why children and elderly people
can get hurt in the crowd. That's why it would be better to keep children and
the elderly away from the Rath Yatra. Along with this, the mischief of thieves
also increases a lot. Therefore, while leaving the hotel for Rath Yatra, leave
your purse and money, and valuable jewelry in the hotel room.
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