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why do we celebrate Rath Yatra ?
Many of the people may not know about the festivals that we celebrate in India ,India is a divine country where each and every festival is celebrated evenly and we respect every religion ,you can see in some places in India where a Hindu temple and a Muslim mosque is attached to gather, some anti social elements are against this but that is how it is.Working class people of India they always leave their native place and go to another state to stay and earn their ,with them they take their festival and their cuisine with them.India is a country of festival and business is derived through this festivals ,many of the merchants keep on waiting of these festivals and they do their preparation accordingly
Indian festivals
chat pooja Indian festival from Bihar
Many citizen in India don't know about the festival rath yatra also called as Car Festival or Chariot Festival, it is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose 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 the second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month.
The festival commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple maternal aunt's home near Saradha Bali, Puri.
Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariot in oriya Chariots of Shri Jagannath is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Odisha, on the second day of shukla pakhya the waxing cycle of moon Ashadha Maasa the 3rd month in Lunar Calendar. The presiding deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel the Sudarshana Chakra are removed from the temple in a ceremonial procession to their chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple the Gundicha – King Indradyumna's Queen,were two miles away to the North. On the way the chariot of Lord Jagannatha, Nandighosa waits near the crematorium of Bhakta Salabega a Muslim devout to pay him tribute.
On their way back from the Gundicha Temple, the three deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple the Aunt's abode and have an offering of the Poda Pitha, which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the Lord's favourite. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode.
Many of the people may not know about the festivals that we celebrate in India ,India is a divine country where each and every festival is celebrated evenly and we respect every religion ,you can see in some places in India where a Hindu temple and a Muslim mosque is attached to gather, some anti social elements are against this but that is how it is.Working class people of India they always leave their native place and go to another state to stay and earn their ,with them they take their festival and their cuisine with them.India is a country of festival and business is derived through this festivals ,many of the merchants keep on waiting of these festivals and they do their preparation accordingly
Indian festivals
chat pooja Indian festival from Bihar
Many citizen in India don't know about the festival rath yatra also called as Car Festival or Chariot Festival, it is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose 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 the second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month.
The festival commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Temple via Mausi Maa Temple maternal aunt's home near Saradha Bali, Puri.
Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariot in oriya Chariots of Shri Jagannath is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Odisha, on the second day of shukla pakhya the waxing cycle of moon Ashadha Maasa the 3rd month in Lunar Calendar. The presiding deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel the Sudarshana Chakra are removed from the temple in a ceremonial procession to their chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple the Gundicha – King Indradyumna's Queen,were two miles away to the North. On the way the chariot of Lord Jagannatha, Nandighosa waits near the crematorium of Bhakta Salabega a Muslim devout to pay him tribute.
On their way back from the Gundicha Temple, the three deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple the Aunt's abode and have an offering of the Poda Pitha, which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the Lord's favourite. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode.
How do we celebrate Rath Yatra?
The three chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhdra are newly constructed every year with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road.
The three chariots are decorated as per the unique scheme prescribed and followed for centuries stand on the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. The chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the temple close to its eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion's Gate.
Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas, painted wooden images representing different deities on the chariots' sides. Each chariot has a charioteer and four horses.
How do we made the chariote ?
Lord Jagannath chariot has 16 wheel while Balabhadra has 14 wheels wheras Subhadra chariot has 12 wheels, lord jagannatth or commonly known in the regional language as nandigosha and have two alternate names Garudadhwaja and Kapiladwaja means the falcon flag , and Kapiladwaja means the falcon flag
The middle chariot is of Balabhadra locally known as taladhwaja and the alternate name is langaladhwaja meaning in English is langla flag and the third charriot or Yatra is of Subhadra locally known as Darpadalana and have two alternate name as well and they are Devadalana,Padmadhaja in English Padma flag..Total number of wooden pieces used in lord Jagannath chariot are 832 and in Balbhadra 763 and Savitri 593 lord Jagannath chariot has a total height of 44'2" and Balabhadra is one inch shorter while Subhadra charit again one inch shorter ,Lord Jagannath color on canopies are red and yellow,Balabhadra is followed by red,bluish green where as Subhadra's red ,black. Guardian garuda,vasudevand Jayadurga ,charioteer daruka,matali and Arjuna ,Flag name Tailokyamothini of lord Jagannath flowed by Unnani of Balabhadra where as Nadambika of Subhadras chariot .Lord Jagannath horses are Shanka,Balahaka,Suwetaand Haridashwa followed by Blabhadra Tribra,Ghore,Dirghasharmaand Swoenanava where as Subhadras Rochika,Mochika,Jita and Aparajita, color of lord Jagannath horses are white,Balabhadras Black and Subhadras red ,name of the chariots ropes to pull on are sankhachuda nagini followed by Basuki naga where as Swarnachuda nagini Accompanying deity Madanmohan followed by Ramakrishna where as Subhadra is Sudharshana ,gate keepers of lord Jagannath Jaya,Vijaya Balbhadra Nanda Sunand and Subhadra Ganga Jamuna.Lord Jaggannath have Nine parshvadevata meaning in english is Subsidiary deities and they are Panchamukhi Mahabir (Hanuman),Madhusudana (Vishnu),Giridhar (Krishna),Pandu Narasingha
Chitamani Krishna,Narayana (Vishnu), Chatra Bhanga Rabana (Rama) and Rama seated on Hanuman
followed by Balabhadra Ganesha Kartikeya,Sarvamangala,Pralambari (Balarama),Halayudha (Balarama),Mrityunjaya (Shiva),Natamvara (Shiva),Mukteswar (Shiva),Sheshadeva and of Subhadra are Chandi,Chamunda,Ugratara,Banadurga (Durga),Shulidurga (Durga),Varahi,Shyamakali,Mangala and Vimala
When do we start constructing these chariots ?
The construction of the chariots starts on Akshaya Trutiya, the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha, with ritual fire worship. This takes place in front of the palace of the King of Puri and opposite the main office of the Puri temple. On this day, the new agricultural season starts and farmers start plowing their fields. This day also marks the beginning of the summer festival of the deities, also known as the sandalwood festival or Chandan Yatra, which lasts for three weeks. In this festival, the representative images of the presiding deities are taken out in colorful processions and given a ceremonial boat ride in the Narendra pokhari/tank every day. In an interesting demonstration of the assimilative character of the Jagannatha cult, Madanmohana and Rama-Krishna, representing Jagannatha & Balarama partake in the festival with the representatives' images of the presiding deities of five main Shiva temples of Puri. These are curiously known as Pancha Pandava, the five brothers of the Mahabharata story. Later the deities have a ritual bath in a small temple in the middle of the tank, in stone tubs filled with water, sandalwood paste, scents, and flowers.
This sandalwood festival culminates in the Snana Yatra, the Bathing Festival on the full moon day of the month of Jestha. On this day, the presiding deities descend from their seats on an elevated platform in the sanctum sanctorum, the bejeweled throne. They are bathed in 108 pots of water brought from the suna kua, the golden well and assume the elephant form on the special bathing platform, close to the Eastern boundary wall of the temple. From that day the deities remain in symbolic and ritual convalescence for about two weeks. They are barred from the view of the ordinary devotees. Only three special patta chitras, traditional Oriya paintings of natural colors on cloth stiffened with starch, known as Anasara Pattis, are strung on a bamboo screen hiding the deities from public view, can be seen by the public. During this period, the deities are given only roots, leaves, berries and fruits to cure them of their indisposition. This ritual is a reminder of the strong tribal elements in the genesis and evolution of the Jagannatha cult. The progeny of Lalita, daughter of the original tribal worshipper Biswabasu, chieftain of hunters, and the Brahmin priest Vidyapati, are known as daitapatis or daitas. They have the almost exclusive privilege of serving the Lord during the convalescence and through the entire period of Ratha Jatra or the Festival of Chariots.
After the chariots of the deities return to the main temple from the Gundicha temple, the deities are attired in gold ornaments and worshipped on the chariots. This celebration is known as Suna Besha. Tradition maintains that this event was first started by King Kapilendra Deb in 1460, when after returning victorious from war he donated gold to Jagannath.he deities are adorned with gold jewelry weighing nearly 208 kg. In 2014 nearly nine hundred thousand devotees witnessed this event held on 9 July
It is a very big celebration !!!
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