Puri Ratha Yatra: Most Astonishing Facts on World Biggest Chariot Festival

Rath yatra celebration is one of the major Hindu festivals held in the month of Ashar. In the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal, the festival is celebrated with special fervor, and it has been one of the biggest festivals in India. Ratha yatra history is much interesting likes its facts.  

Jagannatha Deva, Shubhdra Devi, Balarama Deva

It has long been told that if anyone pulls the rope of the chariot once, he or she will be relieved of many troubles in the afterlife. But we do not know if there is an afterlife, whether there is any more state of consciousness after death or the death is the end of it all But to be honest, the development of civilization is only due to this one desire, that is, the search for liberation from all kind of suffering.

Civilization rises, In the temporary boasting of power, he became invincible. And then, for thousands of years, the sun sets in the west. Again they lost in the flow of time from the bosom of the earth. People have evolved from better to better, but still some habits people have not forgotten today, people still from those ancient times of civilization, cry when sad, laugh when happy, and love their loved ones. All these are the inner attributes of man, and one such path of self attribution is called Sanatan Dharma. The main goal of the religion is the pursuit of absolute happiness, and to be honest, joy and celebration is a unique way to get out of any trouble.

Although the people of this spiritual path chose modern civilization as a source of survival, they did not forget the ancient ones.Today in 21st century , they follow six-thousand-year-old tradition of immersing themselves in a joyous festival called Rath Jatra. This festival is organized to commemorate the return of Sri Krishna to Vrindavan after a long separation, which has been started in the Dwapar era, that is, about 6,000 years ago, on the holy soil of ancient India.

On the day of the Rath Yatra, idols of Jagannath, Balaram, Subhadra and Sudarshan Chakra are taken out in public in all the Jagannath temples of the country including the Jagannath temple in Puri. Then the chariots are pulled by completing the worship of the deities by sitting in three well-equipped chariots. Millions of pilgrims gather in Puri every year to pull the chariot. In Puri, non-hindus and foreigners are allowed to visit the temple premises only once a year. The chariots constructed in Puri are 45 feet high. The procession was broadcast live on various national and international television channels.

Here are a few interesting details about Rath Yatra that that you’ll surely love to know—

According to the Bhagwat Purana, an ancient Indian scripture, if one visits Jagannath Dham on this occasion, one gets the merits of visiting the remaining four dhams. Jagannath Dev is an awakened deity of Kali yuga, who always stretches out his arms to hug the devotees. Jagannath Dev has no eyelids, that is, one who is always looking to his devotees to protect them from all kind of suffering. The work of Rath Jatra started from Akshay tritiya. For about a month, preparations were made for the Rath Jatra through several small rituals and festivals.

 

Unexplained rainfall :

Certainly it will rain once or twice on the day of the festival, although most of the time the festival falls the rainy season in India, but if the festival ever happens during the drought, it will still rain during the festival. So far no such year has been recorded, there has been no rain during the particular day of the festival.

Traveling with the siblings:

As has been said pretty early, it is a date when Lord Jagannath, alongside his elder brother and younger sister, Balaram and Subhadra, is being sent to their maternal aunt's home which is another temple in Puri, named as  Gundicha Temple (or the Mausima Temple), where Lord Jagannatha stays with his siblings for 9 days before coming back home (Puri Jagannatha Temple)!

God comes to meet his devotees:

No god of any religion in the world walks out of his holy temple to meet with the devotees, but Jagannath Dev is such a god who walks with millions of devotees on the day of the festival.

The Puri Temple is said to be a very important worship site for the Hindus in the Kali Yuga that is associated with the existence of the entire human race. The rules and regulations in this temple are therefore also very strict.  This is the reason the Puri Jagannath Temple is said to be regulated by the tightest Hindus committee around. They are always vigilant and cautious about every aspect of the temple. According to history, several times in the past, the Muslim rulers of India took the initiative to attack this shrine, but they did not even touch this temple. Therefore, if you are not a Hindu by birth, you have no permission to get access in this temple, and even if you are a Hindu, you are not allowed to stay in the main shrine premises for a long time. But the Rath Jatra festival is a day when God Himself leaves the temple premises for the devotees. However, the barriers of caste, religion and creed simply vanish on this auspicious day and it is humanity that is worshipped.

New wooden chariot in every year:

Surprisingly, the chariots are made of new wood every year, and the design, height, and width of the chariots are not changed, so the chariots that were made 6,000 years ago are replicated today.

When Lord is resisting movement:

Legend has it that, no matter how many thousands of devotees drive the chariot, Lord Jagannath would be hesitant to reach his aunt's place every time, and spookily, each year, it would refuse to move a bit from his position. Despite the best efforts of the crowds, the chariot could not be moved even one inch forward. It is only after hours of pulling that it would show motion at last! Yes, it's somewhat funny — do it make sense to watch your LIVE television.

King Jagannatha:

Although democratic governments are formed all over India, Lord Jagannath is the real king of Orisa.Even today, the Lord Jagannatha comes out with his chariot on road, only before the king of the Puri dynasty, sweeps the road by a gold mop.

Sudarshan chakra at the top of temple:

The greatness of the Sudarshan Chakra at the top of the Jagannatha temple is equal to the majesty of Lord Jagannath Deva himself, i.e. if one only sees that chakra only from a distance, it is considered as the vision of Lord Jagannath Himself.

Largest community kitchen:

The wood used to make these chariots after the carnival is being used to cook Mahaprasad, that is made up of 56 different types and is cooked in the Temple kitchen, which is the largest community kitchen in the globe and can be cooked for up to 100,000 devotees at the same time. The incredible thing about this is that the quantity of food cooked every day is the same and has never been wasted.

The Ancient Engineering:

This chariot has been built in the same way for over 6,000 years. Follows the ancient method art and engineering, no metal nails were used to build this 45-foot-tall chariot with 14 wheels.

Wood Source:

The wood used for this construction comes from the two forest areas of Dashpalla and Ranapur. Because of the proportion of wood used in these chariots is quite huge, approximately more than twice amount of trees are planted the same time.

Chariot Builders:

From the time of its origin, there are a fixed number of families of traditional carpenters who build the chariots each year, and the tools, dimensions, techniques etc. for constructing the same are passed down across generations.

The English word Juggernaut:

Juggernaut meaning an unstoppable force that crushes everything in its path. This was due to the fact, that in the early days of the Yatra, many devotees would throw themselves under it’s massive wheels in order to attain salvation, Now a days there is a cordon, to prevent such incidents from occurring, but accidents do happen often. Actually Juggernaut means a large, heavy vehicle, particularly an articulated lorry or an extremely large, powerful, and overwhelming force that is impossible to stop. When the British authorities saw the massive magnitude of the chariots beyond imagination, they were shocked and developed this word for whatever is huge and a vehicle. 

It is said that if a good deed is started on the day of the carriage ride, it is a success. Following this belief, on this day many people in India start business or new journey, many enters their newly build homes, and many worship at their institution. Ratha Yatra is a larger than life spectacle and every year lakhs of devotees come to witness it in all its colour, customs and glory. Not just a festival, it is a staunch reminder of the belief and faith which binds us together.