Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: History, Significance, Rituals and Timings of the Festival in Puri

JAGANNATH RATH YATRA 2022: One of the most prominent Hindu festivals, Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri will be celebrated today on July 1. Every year, the festival is celebrated with all traditional rituals on the Shukla Paksha Dwitiya Tithi of Ashadha month as per the Hindu calendar.

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On this day, Lord Jagannath, with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, comes out of the 12th century temple and rides the chariots to the Gundicha temple. This is the only occasion in a year when the deities leave the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple and stay at the Gundicha temple for 9 days.

Date and Timings

According to the Panchang, Rath Yatra is held on the Dwitiya Tithi of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha. This year, Dwitiya Tithi will begin at 10:49 am on June 30 and will be in effect till 01:09 pm on July 1. As the sun will rise on July 1 in the Dwitiya Tithi, therefore, the festival will be celebrated on Friday.

History and Significance

It’s believed that it’s the only occasion of the year when Lord Jagannath, the lord of the universe, comes out of the temple for his devotees, those who can’t go inside the temple. According to another legend, as promised to queen Gundicha, the erstwhile queen of King Indradyumna, Lord Jagannath visits the temple named after the queen once a year.

Every year, during the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra leave their regular abode in the main temple and go to the Gundicha Temple, which is almost 3 km away from the Jagannath temple. Then, they stay there for eight days. It is also believed that on the fourth day after Ratha Yatra Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Jagannath, comes to Gundicha temple in search of the Lord.

After staying at the Gundicha Temple for eight days, the deities take a return journey to their home on the ninth day, which is known as Bahuda Yatra. The day is celebrated on the Shukla Paksha Dashami Tithi of the Ashadh month.

Rituals

Before the Rath Yatra, the Gundicha Temple is cleaned by the devotees of the Lord Jagannatha for his pleasant stay. On the day of the yatra, three different chariots for Lord Jagannatha, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are prepared. The chariots of all three are pulled by a huge crowd to reach the destination.

Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosha, Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is called Taladhwaja and goddess Subhadra’s chariot is named Darpadalan. On the Rath Yatra day the deities are taken to the chariots by the servitors in a traditional procession known as Pahandi Bije.

After that the king of Puri, known as Gajapati and first servitor of Lord Jagannath, purifies the chariots. This is called Chhera Pahara, during which the kind sweeps the chariots. After this ritual the chariots are pulled by the devotees towards the Gundicha temple.

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