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Puri: Jagannath Rath Yatra is an important annual festival held in India. The Jagannath Rath Yatra festival is being observed every year in India as per the Hindu calendar (Shukla Paksha Dwitiya Tithi, Ashadha month).
With multiple rituals falling on the same day, this year’s Rath Yatra in Puri is unique.
It is an extraordinary event with rare celestial alignment that occurs only once every 53 years.
On this day, Lord Jagannath, which also means ‘Lord of the Universe’, is taken out of the temple on beautiful chariots. Along with the idol of Lord Jagannath, idols of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are also taken out on different chariots and given a tour of the whole city before being taken to the Gundicha Temple. The three idols stay there for some time and then return to the main temple.
The first day of the nine-day-long festival is about catching a glimpse of the idols travelling by chariots. The grand Rath Yatra begins after the three deities are established on the decorated chariots. Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosha, Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is called Taladhwaja, and Goddess Subhadra’s chariot is called Darpadalan. These chariots are pulled by a large number of devotees.
The Rath Yatra is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Goddess Subhadra. The Rath Yatra celebrates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple, 2.5km away.
Lord Jagannath’s Rath, Nandighosha (also known as Garudadhwaja, Kapiladhwaja) is about 44 feet tall and has 16 wheels. Balbhadra’s chariot is called Taladhwaja or Langaladhwaja, and it stands 43 feet in height and has 14 wheels. While Subhadra’s chariot has 12 wheels and it is 42 feet tall.
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