When does Jagannath Bhagwan's Rath Yatra take place?
Every year rath yatra takes place on the second day in the bright fortnight of Ashadha month. A long procession involving great pomp and rivalry and lakhs of money is spent on its arrangements. Apart from Lord Jagannath, the chariot of his elder brother Balarama and sister Subhadra is also taken out in the Rath Yatra.
Let us know why the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is taken out:
Just like other religious traditions have some beliefs related to it, similarly, rath yatra also has a story associated with it. It is believed that Lord Jagannath's sister Subhadra had requested a lot to him for the darshan of Dwarka. Then Lord Jagannath had given her a tour of the whole city by making her sit in a chariot and fulfilled her sister’s wish. That's when this Rath Yatra started. This Rath Yatra is also mentioned in Skanda Purana, Narada Purana, Padma Purana and Brahma Purana. In Sanatan Dharma, whoever gets the privilege of pulling the chariot gets the blessing equivalent to performing a hundred sacrifices.
How does Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra leave?
First of all, the journey starts from the chariot of Balabhadra. His chariot leaves for Taaldhwaj. After this, the journey of Subhadra's Padma Ratha begins. At last, the devotees start pulling the chariot of Lord Jagannath Ji 'Nandi Ghosh' with the help of big ropes. Which is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fanfare.
After completing the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath and his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra go to his aunt's house at Gundicha temple, 2.5 km from the main temple. After staying here for 7 days, they reach the main gate on the eighth day. Meaning the festival goes on for a total of 9 days.
Some more interesting information about rath yatra:
- All the three chariots used in yatra are made of wood
- It has three names like- Kapidhwaj, Garudadhwaj, Nandighosh etc. This chariot is 13 meters high and has 16 wheels.
- For Lord Jagannath, food is prepared on 752 chulhas in the Jagannath temple. This is a huge record in itself, that is why it also has the status of the world's largest kitchen.
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