Ratha Yatra (Oriya: ରଥଯାତ୍ରା or Ratha Jatra or Chariot
Festival) is a Hindu
festival associated
with Lord Jagannath held
at Puri in the state of Odisha,
India. It is the oldest Rath Yatra taking place in Indian and the World, dating
back to 10 - 11 century and its descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana,
Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita.
This annual festival
is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight
of Ashadha month).
The festival
commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha
Temple via Mausi Maa
Temple (aunt's home)
near Balagandi Chaka, Puri.
As part of Ratha
Yatra, the deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in a procession to
Gundicha Temple and remain there for nine days. Then the deities or Ratha Yatra
return to the Main temple. The return journey of Puri
Jagannath Ratha Jatra is known as Bahuda Jatra.
Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri called Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra to their aunt's temple, the Gundicha Temple which is situated at a distance of 2 km from their temple. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities. During the festival, devotees from all over the world go to Puri with an earnest desire to help pull the Lords' chariots with the help of other priests pulling the chariots with ropes. They consider this a pious deed and risk their lives in the huge crowd. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, tambourines, trumpets etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass and add to the mass chorus. The Ratha carts themselves are some approximately 45 feet (14 m) high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event; the chariots are built anew each year only from a particular type of tree. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. It is also broadcast live on many Indian, foreign television channels as well as many of the websites telecast jagannath ratha yatra live.
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