The Jagannath Puri Yatra or the famous chariot festival of India is of immense significance to Hindus and is celebrated with great pomp and splendour in the state of Odisha. The festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath who is said to be a form of Lord Krishna along with his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. This Yatra is the biggest yatra in not only in India but in the world. Millions of devotees from around the world gather around Odisha at this time to be a part of the grand celebration.
Pople pull these chariots using ropes from the Jagannath temple to the Gondicha tempe.
Significance
The significance of this journey is the deities' visit to their aunt's home. The whole procession is filled with excited devotees who carry the rath between the two temples. It is believed that being a part of these celebrations and having a glimpse of these deities brings prosperity and fulfilment of desires. What makes it so grand is the cumulation of thousands of devotees from various different backgrounds just to be a part of the celebration.
How is it celebrated?
The Yatra involves a procession of Lord Jagannath along with his siblings in specially crafted chariots, which are known as raths. These chariots are constructed for the yatra every year and thousands of devotees gather to pull it using ropes. The Rath Yatra is basically a journey from the Jagannath temple to the Gundicha temple in Puri, Odisha. The temples are located 3 kilometres away from each other.
The devotees come in thousands to be a part of this celebration.
When is it celebrated?
The festival is celebrated on the 2nd day of the Shukla Paksha, Ashadh month according to the traditional Oriya Calendar. It is usually celebrated in the month of June or July. This year the journey will commence on 20 June 2023 at 10:04 pm and end on 21 July 2023 at 7:09 pm. The festival is a nine-day event starting from the Jagannath Rath Yatra and the return journey known as Bahuda Yatra.
