Very important and world famous festival of Orissa, millions of pilgrims are attracted to visit the holy place Puri in Odisha. This important festival is known as Ratha Yatra the ‘Ratha’ refers to a holy wooden chariot on which Lord Jagannath (the avatar of Vishnu) and with his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra visit their aunt’s temple (Gundicha Temple) every year in this annual journey which is called Rath Yatra one of the major festival of Hindu in Odisha.
Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival is performed during the month of June or July. Pilgrims not only from India but also from different parts of the world take part in this Ratha Yatra it is a festival which gives a message of equality and integration to all human being on this earth.
In this Rath Yatra the 3 deities (Lord Vishu, Balabhadra, Subhadra), every year they are taken from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple on their decorated wooden chariot these procession are accompanied by chants, mantras and conches which are heard all around.
Before the commencement of this holy rath yatra the idols are bathed with 109 buckets of water they called it Snana Pornima and after this they are isolated till the day of procession it is believed that they are sick. It is called as Ansara. The day of procession the ritual of Chhera Pahara is carried out by the royal successor of Orissa. During this period, hordes of locals and devotees flock are surrounded to the temple area.
During Chhera Pahara, the deities are brought from the temple by the King and are placed on the chariot. Before keeping them, the king himself sweeps the chariot with a broom that has a gold handle. He later decorates the chariot with flowers with his own hands. The ground on which the chariot will move is also cleaned by him, after which sandalwood is sprinkled on it.
Through this ritual, it is proposed that everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord. Jagannath temple is accessible only by Hindus but on the day of the Rath Yatra, people of all faiths can visit the temple. The 3 deities remain at the Gundicha Temple, their aunt’s place for a span of 9 days. Later, they are back to their home. This return journey is called the ‘Bahuda Yatra’.
On reaching the Jagannath Temple in the evening, they wait outside. On the next day, the idols are adorned with new clothes as babies. This event is called Suna Vesa. After this day, the deities are placed again into the sanctum sanctorum, marking an end to the Rath Yatra of Jagannath Puri.
Important places to visit near Puri Jagannath temple
Konark temple, Konark beach, Raghurajpur artist village, Puri beach, Chilika Lake, Sakshigopal temple, Pipili village, Shree Loknath temple and Gundicha Temple are some of the popular attractions near Jagannath temple.
