About Puri Rath Yatra :
Rath Yatra or chariot festival is a festival of Hindus, celebrated on the 2nd day of Shukla Paksha (waxing cycle of moon) in the month of Asadh which is the 3rd month of the lunar calendar followed in certain parts of India. The Jagannath temple in Puri is the main epicenter of this festival. Jagannath Rath Yatra festival commemorates the visit of lord Jagannath along with his siblings to the temple of Queen Gundicha. On their way they stop at their maternal aunt’s place called the mausima temple for a meal of sweet pan cakes which is believed to be the favorite of lord Jagannath.Lord Jagannath is popularly known as lord Krishna amongst the Hindu devotees. Jagannath temple in Puri is one of the four most significant shrines of the Hindus from all over the world and is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ as the power of ‘Yama’ the god of death amongst Hindus is believed to have been nullified in Puri because of the presence of Lord Jagannath who is believed to be residing in the historical Jagannath temple of Puri with his siblings lord Balbhadra and deity Shubhadra. The idols of these deities are taken in three immensely decorated chariots to the abode of queen Gundicha who is the wife of King Indradyumana. These chariots are as high as 45 feet and are pulled by millions of devotees who gather every year from all over the world during Rath Yatra at Puri to have a glimpse of the gods sitting in their chariots. The celestial wheel called Sudarshan Chakra also accompanies lord Jagannath during his journey.
It is only on this day during the entire year when the non Hindu devotees can have a glimpse of the gods and goddess of Jagnnath Temple Puri. Every year three new chariots are built for the ‘yatra’ or the journey of the Gods. The pulling of the ropes of the chariots during the Rath Yatra in Puri is considered to be an extremely pious act and devotees around the world assemble in Puri to be a part of this age old tradition. The chariots are built and decorated in the styles which have been followed for centuries and as mentioned in the holy text of Hindus. The carpenters have been acquiring the rights of making the chariots by heredity. The woods of selected trees like phassi and dhausa are used for the purpose and these logs are then floated in forms of rafts in the river Mahanadi and sent to Puri from Dasapalla. The canopy over the chariot is in vibrant colors with red being the prime one combined with the shades of black, yellow and blue. Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosha and has yellow stripes on its canopy as a resemblance to his another name ‘Pitambar’. Lord Balbhadra’s chariot is ‘Taladhwaja’ and has got the palm tree on its flag as its resemblance. Shubhadra is considered to be the deity of power or ‘shakti’, her chariot is call ‘dwarpadalana’ and has the red and black color on it. Each of these chariots are attached to four horses, white one for Balaram, the dark one for lord Jagannath and the red one belongs to Shubhadra. Arjuna is the charioteer for Shubhadra, Matali for Jagannath and Daruka for Balaram.
The foundations of these chariots are laid on the day of Akshaya Tritia in front of the palace of the king of Puri opposite the Jagannath Puri temple office. This commemorates the sandalwood paste festival or the Chandan Jatra; it is a three week long festival followed by the Snana Jatra or the bathing festival which also involves the deities of the five main Shiva temples of Puri. Rath Yatra festival is celebrated in Orissa, West Bengal and other parts of India. The ISKCON foundation has been successful in taking the Rath Yatra of Puri celebrations to an international level.
Puri Rath Yatra 2012 will be on 21June which is being a Tuesday, Rath Jatra tour operators are expecting a huge turnover so if you don’t want to miss the chance, make your bookings today. Puri Rath Yatra Festival tour is an experience of a lifetime and provides you with a glimpse of the grandeur of this century old celebrations.