ABHIGNANAM: A Week of Bliss..!!

The Much awaited Rath Yatra started yesterday. It is also known as the Roth Jatra or the Chariot Festival. The Rath Yatra in Puri is a seven – day festival.

The Rath Yatra is held once every year in the month of Asadha {the rainy season that falls in June – July}. The three deitiesare namely Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra {elder brother of Lord Krishna} and Lady Subhadra {younger sister of Lords Krishna and Balabhadra}.

The “Rath Yatra” of Puri Jagannath is a rare, special and a very unique one.The chariots in which these Lords and Lady respectively go around in are very huge, very grand and have different specifications. They are as follows :

The chariot of Lord Jagannath is called 'Nandighosa' - has 18 wheels and is 23 cubits in height. Jagannatha's ratha is marked with a cakra and garuda, is yellow in color, with four white horses. The protecting deity is Nrsimha.

The chariot of Lord Balabhadra is called 'Taladhvaja' - has 16 wheels and is 22 cubits in height. Baladeva's cart is blue, with a palm tree insignia, and four black horses. The protecting deity is Sesa.

The chariot of Lady Subhadra is called' Devadalana' - has 14 wheels and is 21 cubits in height. Subhadra's cart is black, with lotus insignia, protected by Vanadurga.

The three charioteers attached to the chariots of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra respectively are Daruka, Matali and Arjuna.

The Puri Rath Yatra is world famous for the crowd that it attracts. Puri being the abode of these three deities, the place plays host to devotees, tourists and some millions of pilgrims from across India and abroad.

I have attended around 5 Rath Yatras myself . I love it as the ambience and the people are just full of bliss and wonder for the Lordships. People will be singing kirtan with joy and love and will be enjoying themselves. Prasad will be distributed.

The significance of the Rath Yatra is that the Lord helps the devotees to pull their chariot of life. In these seven days, the Lord allows his devotees to pull the chariots of him and his siblings.

“ Simply touching the rope of the chariot or the chariot itself is believed to bring prosperity. ”