Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath: Why millions throng Puri to witness the annual event
Over 10,000 police personnel have been directed to Puri to oversee security and traffic management for the annual Rath Yatra, or car festival, of Lord Jagannath, which will commence on Friday (June 27). Over 30 lakh Indians and thousands of foreigners are expected to attend the event.
According to Hindu mythology, the Lord and his siblings – Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra – embark on a nine-day annual sojourn to their birthplace. The idols are taken to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay till the 'Bahuda Yatra' (returning car festival), which falls on July 5 this year.
The Rath Yatra takes place on the second day of the Odia month of Ashadha Shukla Tithi (bright fortnight) every year to commemorate the journey of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings from their abode, the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, to the Gundicha Temple, believed to be their aunt's home.
Goddess Ardhasini, also known as Mausima, is believed to be the aunt of the deities. The deities board three huge decorated chariots following the ceremonial procession called the Pahandi ritual, before marching for around 3 km to the Gundicha Temple. Millions of devotees pull the chariots on the Bada Danda (Grand Road) of Puri town.
Puri occupies a significant space in Hindu mythology as it is worshipped as one of the char dham or four abodes where Lord Jagannath, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped with his siblings. It is believed that witnessing the deities on their elaborately decorated chariots will cleanse people of their sins and grant them salvation.
According to the Bamadeva Samhita, a religious text associated with the Puri temple, any pilgrim who witnesses the four deities on their simhasana (sacred seat) of Gundicha Temple for a week would be granted a place in Baikuntha, the heavenly abode, along with their ancestors for eternity.
As non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath temple, the festival presents an opportunity for foreign devotees to visit Puri. It is believed that the Lord, believed to be the Lord of the Universe, steps out of his sanctum sanctorum during Rath Yatra to meet all his devotees.
The three chariots
The three chariots – Taladhwaja Rath for Lord Balabhadra, the Darpadalan Rath for Goddess Subhadra, and the Nandighosa Rath for Lord Jagannath – are distinct from each other, and made afresh every year from the woods of locally available trees. They have their own colours, heights, diameters, wooden horses, guardian deities and even charioteers. Nearly 200 carpenters, labourers, woodcarvers, artists, and painters work for around 12 hours a day from Akshaya Tritiya onwards, nearly two months before the much-awaited event, to shape the chariots.
The workers view their work as 'hereditary service'. While they don't have any formal training in woodcarving or using modern machinery or equipment, they rely on what they have learnt from experienced family elders. Traditional methods and techniques are used to build the chariots.
CHHERA PANHARA: Before the chariots are pulled on Rath Yatra, the scion of the erstwhile Puri royal family, the self-styled first servitor of the Lords, performs a special ritual called 'Chhera Panhara'. As part of this, he sweeps the floor of the chariots with a golden broom, symbolising that all devotees are equal before the Lord, irrespective of their social status. It is said to stress the dignity of labour and emphasises humility.
Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, who ascended the throne in 1970 at the age of only 17, has been performing the Chhera Panhara ritual since 1971.
BAHUDA YATRA: The return festival or Bahuda Yatra is organised on Ashadha Shukla Dasami (10th day). On their way back to the 12th-century shrine, the deities are offered a special cake called 'Poda Pitha', made of rice, coconut, lentils and jaggery at the Mausimaa Temple (their aunt's temple).
SUNA BESHA: A day after the Bahuda Yatra, the deities are adorned with gold ornaments, including crowns, and hands and legs made of gold on the chariots in front of the Lion's Gate, which is called Suna Besha (golden attire).
NILADRI BIJE: The home-coming of the deities, also called 'Niladri Bije', is celebrated on the 12th day of the Ashadha month, which also marks the end of the Rath Yatra festival. The sibling deities are taken to the sanctum sanctorum again in pahandi (ceremonial ritual).
RASAGOLA DIVAS: Devotees offer Rasagola (a sweet dish made of cheese) to Goddess Laxmi on behalf of Lord Jagannath to appease her, as she gets angry for not being taken on the Raths to the Gundicha Temple. For the past few years, people in Odisha have also celebrated the day of Niladri Bije as the Rasagola Divas.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Puri Rath Yatra 2025: Planning to travel by road, check full traffic advisory, routes, parking & shuttle details for all vehicles
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Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Learn More Route and parking arrangement for vehicles coming to Puri As per reports, traffic arrangements for tourist and regular buses during Rath Yatra Buses coming from Bhubaneswar will be permitted to park at Malatipatapur Parking, and must return via the same route. Buses arriving from the Brahmagiri side will be allowed up to Flourish India Parking, with return along the same route. Buses coming from Konark can go up to Swami Narayan Temple Parking, and must also return by the same path. From the Bhubaneswar side, buses will be permitted up to the Talabania Bus Stand via Malatipatapur ROB, and will return through Balighat, Samangara village, and Batagaon. Buses from Konark will be allowed to reach the Talabania Bus Stand via Balighai and Baidas Nagar, returning along the same route. Those from the Brahmagiri side can travel up to Talabania Bus Stand via Mangalaghat, Batagaon, Malatipatapur ROB, and Baidas Nagar, with return via Balighat, Samangara village, and Batagaon. Traffic guidelines for four-wheeler light motor vehicles (LMVs) during Rath Yatra Live Events From Bhubaneswar Side LMVs will be permitted up to the Talabania-side parking zones via Malatipatapur ROB, Baidas Nagar, and Grid Station. 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Two-wheeler movement guidelines for Rath Yatra 2025 From Bhubaneswar and Brahmagiri Sides Two-wheelers coming from these directions will be allowed to park at Old Jagannath Ballav Parking (JBPC) on a first-come-first-served basis. Once this area is full, vehicles will be diverted to Matitota Helipad Ground and then to Matitota Playground Parking via Malatipatapur, Batagaon, and Mangalaghat. Vehicles parked at Old JBPC must exit via Jatiababaji Chhaka, Kumbharapada Police Station, Atharanala, and Batagaon. Vehicles parked at the Matitota side will return through Mangalaghat. From Konark Side Two-wheelers will be allowed up to Blue Flag Beach and Hotel Neelachal Ashok Parking via Baidas Nagar, Grid Station, Helipad, Penthakata Chhaka, CT Road, and Subhash Bose Chhaka. Shuttle service (three-wheelers) route plan for Rath Yatra 2025 From Talabania Three-wheelers will travel to Ghoda Bazar via Water Works Road, Odisha Bakery, and Ram Mandir. After dropping off passengers, they will return to Talabania through Ram Mandir, Shreekhestra Colony, and Mangala Mandir. From Malatipatapur Side These vehicles will be permitted up to Atharanala via Batagaon Chhaka. After passenger drop-off, they must return by the same route. From Brahmagiri Side Three-wheelers from this direction will be allowed up to Sterling through Mangalaghat. They must also return along the same route after dropping passengers.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Indians ruled Gulf through Hormuz. They paid to ban public cow slaughter, built temples
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There was a large temple, and Hindu processions were allowed; the Banias also paid the Persian authorities to ban public cow slaughter. Historian Scott Levi, in his paper 'The Indian Merchant Diaspora in Early Modern Central Asia and Iran', writes that 12,000 Indian merchants resided in Isfahan, the capital of Safavid Iran. These merchants traded primarily in cloth and luxury commodities, but used the proceeds for investments and moneylending. As such, they were favoured by Iranian authorities: they 'provided a considerable source of income for the treasury, facilitated taxation by extending a monetised economy into the countryside, and provided village craftsmen and farmers with an important source of investment capital and credit services.' This didn't automatically imply good relations between Safavid Iran and Mughal India. Trade in Hormuz fluctuated as both states competed, occasionally banning trade or rerouting it to other ports. By this point, in the 1600s, both these superpowers had something approaching a modern maritime policy, in which ports like Surat and Hormuz featured front and centre. At the beginning of this column, we saw how Gulf ports, especially Hormuz, had conducted their own business in the 1300s; by the 1600s, they had become chess pieces wielded by gunpowder empires. Yet, some patterns were deeper than the transient politics of states. Indian immigration to the Gulf continued. As the East India Company, and then the British Raj, expanded through the Gulf, their officials noted again and again the ubiquity of Indians. English government official Thomas Herbert, writing in 1627–30, claimed that they 'swarm throughout the Orient… pursuing trade in infinite numbers.' Indians in general, not just Banias, worked as shopkeepers, brokers, bankers, accountants, translators and secretaries. Indian craftsmen and labourers made up a huge proportion of the economy of Oman. Indian soldiers travelled via the Gulf to fight British battles in World War I. And, as Sam Dalrymple writes, it was possible in the early 20th century that Gulf states could have joined an Independent India. Even after the partitioning of the Indian Ocean world into nation-states, Indians continue to work and live in all echelons of Gulf society. The Strait of Hormuz once made Indian fortunes, both before and after the era of powerful states that looked to the sea. What will happen if tensions rise again, and it is closed? 'About 20 per cent of oil and natural gas consumed across the world flows through the Strait of Hormuz… Even if ships heading to India aren't blocked, a major disruption in Hormuz will likely cause energy prices to spike up and make it hard to insure vessels. In a time of economic uncertainty, the last thing India wants is an oil shock,' Aditya Ramanathan, Research Fellow at the Takshashila Institution, told me. The Gulf and the Indian seaboard are not, perhaps, as close as they once were. But they will always be interlocked. Anirudh Kanisetti is a public historian. He is the author of 'Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire' and the award-winning 'Lords of the Deccan'. He hosts the Echoes of India and Yuddha podcasts. He tweets @AKanisetti and is on Instagram @anirbuddha. This article is a part of the 'Thinking Medieval' series that takes a deep dive into India's medieval culture, politics, and history. (Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Rath Yatra 2025 in Bangladesh: ISKCON to host nine-day festival in Dhaka, celebration details inside
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