Every year in July, the sacred coastal town of Puri
celebrates the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. According to popular
legend, Lord Jagannath is said to have expresses his desire to visit his
birthplace, Gundicha Ghat. Yet another mythological story in the
Bhagavad Puran attributes the festival to Lord Krishna and Balaram, who
went to Mathura on the invitation of Kansa (their evil uncle), to
participate in a competition. The entire Rath Yatra is a symbolic
humanization of God. All rituals associated with the festival
demonstrate an attempt to bring God down from His pedestal of glory to a
more human level. On the day of the journey, a fabulous choice of Raths
is lined up for the deities. Three chariots - the yellow Nandighosa, the
blue Taladwaja and the Deviratha - lie waiting for them outside the
temple. The deities are then carried to their respective modes of
transport. Each divine rath is swept with a golden broom and blessed
with sented water, by the king of Puri (the human representative of Lord
Jagannath).The deities finally embark on their journey to the Gundicha
Ghar - in resplendent chariots, pulled along by enthusiastic devotees.
