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Ratha Yatra is the most celebrated festival of Odisha. It is the world’s largest chariot festival. Jagannath is the primary deity worshipped in Odisha along with his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra. Jagannath is a Sanskrit word that is a combination of two words. Jagat means universe, and Natha means lord. Thus, Jagannath means the lord of the universe. Jagannath is also called Jaga (friend), Kalia (dark complexioned god), Chakadola (round pupil), etc. This is the only festival where the deities are taken out of the temple and taken on a tour to their maternal aunt’s home.
Ratha Yatra is not just a one-day festival, rather it continues for about two months long. Ratha Yatra officially begins on Akshaya Tritiya, the day on which the construction for the chariots starts. Then the Chandana Yatra continues for 21 days when the deities take a bath in the Narendra Pokhari. Exactly a month after Chandana Purnima, Devasnana Purnima is celebrated. On the occasion of Devasnana Purnima, the siblings are given a ceremonial bath of 108 pots. After bathing, the deities are said to fall ill and they isolate themselves for 14 days, called “Anasara.” After 14 days, the deities are open for public view. On the Dwitiya Tithi of Sukla Paksha in the Hindu month of Asadha, Ratha Yatra takes place. Ratha Yatra is also called Shri Gundicha Yatra and Ghosa Yatra.
The history of Ratha Yatra dates back to 1150 AD and is even mentioned in the Skanda Purana. There are various legends associated with the celebration of Ratha Yatra. But according to a very popular belief, when the trinity recovers from their fever, they crave to eat something made by their mausi, and thus they decide to pay a visit to their mausi.
Ratha means “Chariot” and Yatra means “Journey”, thus Ratha Yatra means the journey of the trinity in their respective chariots.On the day of Rath Yatra, Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra reside in their own Ratha and go to their mausi's (maternal aunt’s) house, the Gundicha Temple.
The chariot of Jagannath is of red and yellow color and is called Nandighosha and has 16 wheels. The chariot of Balabhadra is of red and green color and is called Taladhwaja and has 14 wheels. The chariot of Subhadra is of red and black color and is called Debadalana and has 12 wheels. This procession of the chariots from the Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple is called Pahandi Bije.
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Chhera Pahara is a significant ritual held during the Ratha Yatra. On the day of Ratha Yatra, the King of Gajapati wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps the area in front of the Rathas. Gajapati King holds a golden broom and sweeps the area while sprinkling sandalwood water. Later, he decorates the chariot with flowers. This is to signify that even a person like a king is a slave to God.
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The trinity is then brought from their “Ratna singhasana” and placed in their respective deities. The pulling of the chariot itself is another significant event. It is said that even if a person gets the chance to touch the rope of the Ratha, they attain salvation. This is the main reason why lakhs of people gather to pull the rathas. According to a very popular belief, every year on Ratha Yatra, it rains. This is considered as Jagannath motivating the people to pull the chariots.
The trinity reaches their aunt, Gudicha’s home which is just 3 kilometers away from Puri temple. On the fifth day, it is said that Maa Lakshmi reaches the Gundicha temple and finds the siblings having fun. She gets furious upon witnessing this. Maa Lakshmi is angry because Jagannath went to his aunt’s house with his siblings, abandoning her. Due to her anger, she breaks the wheel of Nandighosa, Jagannatha’s chariot. This is called Hera Panchami. They stay there for eight days and on the ninth day, the trinity return home. This is called “Bahuda Yatra''. Bahuda means to return. While returning, the trinity eat “Poda Pitha '' made by their aunt. On the day of Bahuda, the Gajapati king again performs the ritual of Chera Pahara.
However, when the Rathas reach the temple, they stay outside. The deities are adorned in gold ornaments weighing about 200 kilograms and worshipped on the chariots, and this is known as Suna Besha. Maa Lakshmi is still angry as she was not a part of the trip. She closes the door of the temple and doesn’t allow the trinity to enter inside. Therefore to convince her, Lord Jagannath gives her Rasagulla, which is her favorite. Maa Lakshmi’s anger subsides and finally lets the trinity come inside. Again, a procession is carried out to mark the homecoming of the trinity. The said ritual is known as “Niladri Bije”.
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After the completion of the Yatra, the Rathas are dismantled and the woods used to make the Rathas are used in the temple kitchen. The festival is celebrated with much pomp, Huli Huli, sankha, and drum sounds. Ratha Yatra is not just celebrated only in Puri, but also in other parts of Odisha. Not just Odisha, but it is also celebrated worldwide. Ahmedabad Ratha Yatra is also a significant and much celebrated Ratha Yatra. The festival is celebrated with much zeal and enthusiasm all over the world. Jagannath temple doesn’t allow non-Hindu to enter the temple complex, however, on the day of Ratha Yatra, everyone is allowed to pull the Rathas.
The festival signifies peace, unity, and integrity. This is an enormous festival witnessed by lakhs of devotees. However, this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Ratha Yatra celebration is banned all over Odisha except Puri. In Puri, it will be performed with bare minimum servitors, following the Covid guidelines.
