What does Rath Yatra Mean?
Rath Yatra honours the journey of Lord Jagannath, the supreme deity of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). According to Hindu mythology, Lord Jagannath is considered an incarnation of the god Vishnu. It is celebrated annually at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, a city in Orissa, India.
Rathayatra, a Hindu festival in India, observes an image of a deity marching (yatra) through the streets on a chariot (ratha). This grants divine darshan (auspicious contemplation) to worshipers who cannot enter the sanctuary due to caste or sectarian restrictions.
What happens during the Rath Yatra?
In this festival, his three-chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and his sister Goddess Subhadra are led from Jagannath temple to Gundicha temple, stopping at Mausimaa temple, where they can take their favourite prayers. Food is served.
In this festival, the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and his sister Goddess Subhadra are led from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple and stop at Mausimaa Temple, where they are offered their favourite foods. increase.
Rath Yatra, or yatra, is the celebration of Lord Jagannath and is believed to be the journey of the Lord of the Universe towards his aunt’s home. Despite being a Hindu shrine, this chariot festival is not associated with any particular sect of Hinduism as a whole but has some commonalities with Vaishnavism, Saivism, Shaktism, Buddhism, and Jainism. I have.
Celebration
The Jagannath Rath Yatra is over 5000 years old, and the most spiritual thing is that the celebration follows the same ritual from the beginning. There are no changes to this festival. Traditionally, the Ras Yatra Festival is celebrated annually in Puri, Orissa.
During this world-famous festival, Lord Jagannatha is worshipped along with his younger brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Devi, his Subhadra. The popular Rat Yatra is the time when the gods come out of the temples and is seen by all.
Each deity visits the Gundicha Temple in a special chariot drawn by devotees. The Gundicha Temple is dedicated to the Lord’s aunt.
Tanks used in the Rath Yatra are built annually. Carpenters started building chariots on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. The tank is painted in bright colours and covered with a red, black, yellow, or green canopy on top.
Lord Jagannath uses red and yellow; Lord Balaram uses red and green; and Goddess Subhadra uses red and black. All tanks have individual characteristics to distinguish them from each other.
Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Chakradwaja or Nandigosa and expresses the sounds of gallop and bliss. With forty-five feet of height, sixteen wheels, and a weight of sixty-five tons, Garuda the crest and his four white wooden horses are characteristic of Lord Jagannath’s ras.
Lord Balaram’s cart is called Taraduwaja, which means a very powerful rhythmic sound. He has 14 wheels and is pulled by four black wooden horses. Hanuman is depicted on the coat of arms.
Religious Festival
Jagannath Rath Yatra is considered the most auspicious religious festival of the year. Jagannath Rath Yatra is celebrated every year with great enthusiasm and passion. People from all over the world gather to participate in the Jagannath Puri Rat Yatra. The festival is celebrated on Shukra Paksha Dwitiya Tithi in the month of Ashada.
Tradition
According to the scriptures, this Jagannath Rat Yatra tradition is very old and prominent. It is believed that the procession began one day when Goddess Subhadra, sister of Lord Jagannath, expressed a desire to walk through the city.
In this festival, the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Goddess Subhadra are led from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple and stop at Mausimaa Temple, where they eat their favourite foods.
He stays in the three chariots for seven days before returning to the Jagannath Temple. The three chariots are decorated in different styles that have been used over the centuries and are carried by priests. Drawing a chariot is considered very auspicious, and these chariots are chased by many followers.
This festival is celebrated by a large number of devotees from all over the world, and they participated in this festival. Massive processions are performed, devotional songs are played, and devotees perform these devotional songs and bhajans.
Holy Abode
According to Skanda Purana, among the 12 yatras of Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra and Shri Gundicha Yatra, the former is considered the most famous by those who can witness the four deities on Simhasana, the sacred seat of Gundicha Temple, for a week, along with their ancestors, who would get up whenever they want in a heavenly abode.
Those who can hear about this great festival get the desired result; additionally, those who study the divine festival’s ritual and make others aware of it can get a place in the holy abode.
The rath yatra or four festivals takes place on the second day of the bright fortnight of Ashadha for the overall well-being of mankind. In the skanda purana it has been described that no festival of Mahaprabhu is more important than that of the Gundicha Yatra because Sri Hari, the supreme lord of the Cosmos, rides his chariot in a very delightful mood to the Gundicha Temple to fulfil the pledge command.
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