Puri Rath Yatra 2023: Chariot Festival in Odisha, India Indira Srivatsa Lord himself comes out of the sanctum sanctorum to give darshan (vision) to his devotees is the greatness of Puri Rath Yatra. All people irrespective of caste, creed, status, fallen, … get opportunity to have darshan of Lord from close quarters. "Lord Swaying and moving like a wild elephant arrives at the grand avenue and rides his chariot and destroys in a flash all the sins of his devotees, even if these may be grave or unpardonable" - Saint/Poet Salabega At the world famous Puri Jagannath Temple in Orissa, Lord Krishna is worshipped as ‘Jagannath’ - ‘Master of the Universe.’ Balabhadra is the elder brother of Lord Krishna and Subhadra is his younger sister. The Making of the Rathas: The making of the Rathas for the annual festival begins on the Akshaya Tritiya day (April - May). Some initial rituals are done on Basant Panchami day (January - February). The main rituals associated with Puri Rath Yatra festival is spread over a month and several rituals, like Snana Purnima and Anasara, take place during this period. Bathing Festival: The Snana Yatra or Snana Purnima (Bathing Festival) takes place on the full moon day in the month of Jyestha (May – June). On this day, the three deities are bathed in 108 pitchers of water. Anasara: After the elaborate Snana Yatra festival, the three deities stay away from public view and this is known as ‘Anasara.’ It is believed that after such elaborate ritualistic bath the deities catch fever and therefore they do not return to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The idols of the three deities then make an appearance after 15 days of ‘anasara’ in a new appearance known as ‘Navaya Yauvana Vesha.’ The wooden idols of the deities are given a fresh coat of paint. The Rath Yatra: Next auspicious ceremony is the world famous Ratha Yatra. On this day, thousands of devotees pull the three huge chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra through the grand road (Bada Danda) to the Gundicha Temple. The deities visit their aunt here. The three deities come out in procession known as ‘Pahandi.’ When the deities are seated on the huge chariots, the Gajapati King of Puri, the first servant of Lord Jagannath, sweeps the chariots. The awe-inspiring act during the procession is the pulling of the huge chariots by thousands of people to the Gundicha Temple through the grand road (Bada Danda). The chariot of Balabhadra moves first, followed by Subhadra and Jagannath. The chariots with the idols wait outside the Gundicha temple. The deities enter the temple on the next day and stay there for seven days. In between, on the fifth day, Goddess Lakshmi, wife of Lord Jagannath, comes to the Gundicha temple in search of her Lord. On finding his chariot there, she returns back in anger after damaging Jagannath’s chariot. The Return: After the week-long stay, the three deities return and the journey is known as Bahuda Yatra. During the return journey, the chariot of Jagannath stops at the Ardhasani Temple (Mausa Ma temple). Here, Lord accepts his favorite rice cake known as Poda Pitha from his aunt who is the presiding deity of the temple. A TO Z INDIA ● JUNE 2023 ● PAGE 6