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Odisha Review July - 2013

The Ratha Yatra or Car Festival of Puri, dedicatedto Lord Jagannath, is the most famous and themost spectacular of festivals which attractscountless pilgrims from all over India and alsofrom abroad. This festival takes place in AsadhaSukla Dwitiya when the images of LordJagannath, along with siblings are taken out ofHis sanctum sanctorum in a grand procession onthree separate chariots along the Badadanda fromShrimandira to Gundicha Mandira.

The whole cycle of the Car Festivalconsists of the following : (i) Snana Yatra or TheBath Festival, (ii) Anasara, (iii) Netra Utsab,(iv) Naba Jaubana Darsana, (v) Pahandi or theceremonial procession of images(vi) “Chherapanhara” or the sweeping of the floorof the chariots with a golden broom by theGajapati Maharaja of Puri, (vii) Stay of the Deitiesin “Gundicha Ghar” for 7 days, (viii) “BahudaYatra” or the return journey of Gods (ix) The finalreturn of the Lords to the temple.

As stated earlier, the Ratha Yatra takesplace on the Second day of the bright fortnight inthe month of Asadha. But the actual preparationstarts much earlier from the Magha Saptami withthe cutting of trees in distant Daspalla and nearbyareas for providing the wood necessary forconstruction of chariots. On the third day of the

The Car Festival of Lord Jagannath :Unique in many respect

Dr. Sidhartha Kanungo

bright fortnight of Baisakh, i.e. Akshaya Tritiya,starts the auspicious construction of chariots onthe Badadanda (Grand Road) of Puri. This dayalso bears enormous socio religious significance.Farmers start agricultural activities on this day. Italso marks the beginning of the sandalwoodfestival or Chandan Yatra, which lasts for threeweeks. In this festival, the representative imagesof the presiding deities are given a ceremonial boatride in the Narendra tank everyday.

The full moon day of the month of Jyestha,popularly known as ‘Snana Purnima’ marks thebeginning of the Car Festival. On this day the threedeities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra andDevi Subhadra are taken to an open platformknown as ‘Snana Bedi’(bathing platform). Herethey take a prolonged bath with one hundred andeight pitchers of perfumed water drawn from a

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temple well once in a year. After the Snana Yatra,the deities are supposed to fall ill (fever) and donot return to their throne. Then they stay awayfrom public view for a period of 15 days. Thisperiod is popular as ‘Anasara’. During this period,no public worship is performed. On the NewMoon Day of the month of Asadha the deitiesreappear in their Nabayaubana Vesha. Theseclusion finally ends when, after 15 days ofisolation, the Lords come out of the temple in acolourful procession to board their respectiveChariots and thereafter begins the journey knownas “Ratha Yatra."

The Ratha Yatra falls on the second dayof the bright fortnight of Asadha. On this occasionthe images of Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadraand Sudarshana are installed on three separatechariots in a grand procession called “Pahandi”.It is the most colourful show of the Car Festivalin which the idols are held tightly in the arms byDaitapatis and pulled from behind and the frontalternatively with the ropes tied firmly to Theirbodies. Each image is made to jump from placeto place and advance. It is worthwhile to mentionhere that the kind of emotional upsurge seen

among the crowd during the Pahandi of SriJagannath is seldom observed when the otherdeities i.e. Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshanare carried in Pahandi to the Chariot.

After all the deities are seated in theirrespective chariots starts the Chhera Pahanraanother attraction of the festival eagerly awaitedby devotees inspite of the scorching heat or rainas the case may be. The Gajapati King of Puribrought to the chariots in a decorated Palanquinand here the king sweeps the floors of the Chariotswith a golden broom. This is known as ChheraPahanra. It presupposes that no labour isdetestable if it is required for social purpose.

Then comes the most exciting part ofRatha Yatra the pulling of chariots by thousandsof devotees without distinction of caste, colour,sex or religion. First moves the Chariot ofBalabhadra, next Subhadra and finally Jagannath’sChariot. Usually they reach the Gundicha templethe same evening. The deities enter the GundichaTemple on the next day in the usual Pahandi styleand stay there for seven days.

Goddess Laxmi gets angry for not beingallowed to go along with Lord Jagannath and

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proceeds to the Gundicha Temple to meet LordJagannath on the Hera Panchami Day, the fifthday from the Ratha Yatra. After having a stealthylook at Her Lord, She returns to Shri Mandir,damaging a part of Jagannath’s Chariot in angerand disgust.

As stated earlier, the Deities stay atGundicha Temple for a period of seven days. Thenstarts their return journey or Bahuda Yatra. OnHis way back, Lord Jagannath stops for fewminutes at Mausima Temple or the temple of auntto take His favourite rice cake or Poda Pitha. Onthe next day, i.e. Bada Ekadasi, the Deities areattired in costumes of Glittering gold and areworshipped by thousand of devotees. This formof the deities is known as Suna Vesha.

On the day after Ekadasi, LordJagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadraand Sudarshana return to the temple with the usualfanfare and in the Pahandi Style. Thus ends theRatha Yatra, the grand festival of the Chariots.

It will not be out of place to mentionsomething about the Chariots that the Lordsmount. Without a strong determination, it is indeedvery difficult to construct these Chariots within ashort span of 58 days.

Lord Jagannath’s Chariot is known asNandighosa. It has a height of 45 feet. It hassixteen wheels, each of seven feet diameter andis decked with red and yellow coverings of cloth.The Sarathi or the Charioteer made of wood isknown as Dahuka. “The Four horses attached tothe Chariot are known as Samkha, Rochica,Mochica and Jwalani. They are painted white.The name of Ratha Pala is Shri Nrusingha. At thecrest of the Chariot are the wheel and the image

of Garuda. The name of the flag of Nandighosa isTrailakyamohini. It may be pointed out that 832pieces of wood are used for construction ofNandighosa. Nandighosa is draped in yellowcloth.

The Chariot of Lord Balabhadra, calledTaladhwaja, has fourteen wheels each of sevenfeet diameter with red and blue cloth. It has aheight of forty-four feet. The name of the Sarathiis Sudyaumna. The four wooden black horsesattached to the Chariot bear the names of Sthira,Dhruti, Sthiti and Siddha. The Rathapala is Anantaand 763 pieces of wood are used in this Chariot.The name of the flag of the Chariot is Wnnani.

The Chariot of the Subhadra is knownas Darpadalana; its height being forty three feetwith twelve wheels, each of seven feet diameter.This Chariot is covered with red and black cloth.The name of Sarathi is Arjuna. Four woodenhorses fixed to the Chariot are known as Prajha,Anuja, Ghora and Aghora. The Rathapalika isVana Durga. 539 pieces of wood are used in thisChariot and the name of the Chariot isNadambika.

The Ratha Yatra is being celebrated atPuri since long. It is indeed very difficult to saysince when it exacly started. The festival willcontinue so long as the Sanatana Dharma existson the earth.

Dr. Sidhartha Kanungo, Joint Secretary to Govt.,Finance Department, Bhubaneswar-751001.