Title Shri Puri Jagganatha Ratha, Yatra – Making and allied aspects

S Script Media
L
1 The literal meaning of
Jagannatha is Lord of
Universe. In Puri, in
the state of Odisha the
Jagannath Temple is
one of the four scared
places of hindus. Here
Lord Jagannath is
worshipped with His
sister Devi Subhadra
and brother
Balabhadra. Rath Yatra
is also known as
Gundicha Yatra, Ghosa
yatra, Navdivisiya
Yatra, Patit Pawan
Yatra and so on.

Rath Yatra is of
immense significance
showcasing the rich
culture and un-
interrupted tradition
of Bharatha
2 The oldest chariot
procession in the
world, marks the
annual ceremonial
procession of Lord
Jagannath, his elder
brother Balabhadra
and younger sister
Subhadra, from their
home temple to
another temple in
what is believed to be
their aunt's home.
3 This is the only festival
in the world where the
actual deities are
taken out of temples
to travel to devotees
4 The interesting part:
Usually there will
always be a special
deities referred as
UTSAVA MURTHIS
specifically for
procession or the yatra
purposes in most of
the temples, but in
Puri it is different

Another interesting
aspect is that the
Ratha is always
standard in any Hindu
temple and the same
ratha is used every
year for the
processing, but in case
of Puri a new ratha is
made each year
5 The wooden logs are
supplied free of cost
by the Odisha state
government. They're
delivered to the area
outside the Jagannath
Temple office on
Vasant Panchami (also
referred to as
Saraswati Puja), the
birthday of Saraswati
the goddess of
knowledge. This takes
place in January or
February. Over 4,000
pieces of wood are
required to make the
chariots, and the
government started a
plantation program in
1999 to replenish
forests. The cutting of
the logs to the
required sizes gets
underway at sawmills
on Ram Navami, the
birthday of Lord Ram,
in March or April.

Wood selection : From

specified trees like
phassi, dhausa
6 Lord Jagannath –
The principle
deity

Chariot
Name: Nandig
hosa

Chariot
Height: 45
feet, six
inches.

Number and
Height of
Wheels: 16
wheels
measuring six
feet in
diameter.

Chariot
Colors: Yellow
and red. (Lord
Jagannath is
associated
with Lord
Krishna, also
 known as
Pitambara,
"the one
draped in
golden yellow
robes").

Horse
Color: White.

Charioteer: Da
ruka.

7 Lord Balabhadra

Chariot
Name: Taladh
waja --
meaning "one
with the palm
tree on its
flag".
Chariot
Height: 45
feet.

Number and
Height of
Wheels: 14
wheels
measuring six
feet six inches
in diameter.

Chariot
Colors: Green
and red.

Horse
Color: Black.

Charioteer: M
atali
8 Devi Subhadra

Chariot
Name: Debada
lana --
meaning
literally,
"trampler of
pride".

Chariot
Height: 44
feet, six
inches.

Number and
Height of
Wheels: 12
wheels,
measuring six
feet eight
inches in
diameter.

Chariot
Colors: Black
and red. (Black
is traditionally
associated
with female
energy shakti
and the
Mother
Goddess).

Horse
Color: Red.

Charioteer: Arj
una.
9 The temple-shaped
chariots in the Puri
Rath Yatra festival also
have a special
meaning. The concept
is explained in the holy
text, the Katho
Upanishad. The
chariot represents the
body, and the deity
inside the chariot is
the soul. Wisdom acts
as the charioteer that
controls the mind and
its thoughts.

There's also a famous

Odia song that says
that the chariot
merges and becomes
one with Lord
Jagannath during the
festival. Simply
touching the chariot or
rope that pulls it is
believed to bring
prosperity.
1 Post Yatra:
0
Ratha is dismantled
and the woods are
used in cooking food
in the temple catering
to over 30K devotees
every day

OR

At the end of Rath

Yatra celebrations, the
three chariots are
dismantled and the
wood, considered
sacred, is auctioned.
The temple authorities
distribute the earnings
among the carpenters,
whose families have
been building these
chariots for
generations.