Ratha Yatra – Divine Glimpse of Jagannatha Parivar
Dear Readers,
Lord Jagannatha Parivar Rath Yatra is one of the famous Chariot festivals celebrated in Puri, Odisha in India and internationally in many cities.
Many devotees from various cities, places gather to celebrate & participate in the festival to seek the blessings of Mahaprabhu Jagannatha. The Ratha Yatra is also termed as Shri Gundicha yatra. The yatra teaches us the sense of equality of all devotees in front of Lord Jagannatha.
It is a great fortune to be at the service of the Lord of the Universe.
Below listed are few of the interesting facts that we all need to know about Lord Jagannatha & the Rath Yatra festival
The chariot construction starts on the auspicious Akshaya Trutiya day.
Few of the other names for the Ratha Yatra are Ghosa Yatra, Navadina Yatra, Mahadevi Yatra, Sri Gundicha Yatra, and Dasavatara Yatra
Neela Chakra (Blue Wheel)
The metal wheel at the top of Lord Jagannath temple , made of eight metals comprising of iron, copper, zinc, mercury, lead, brass, silver and gold.
| Diety | Chariot Name | Chariot COLOR |
| Mahaprabhu Jagannatha | NANDIGHOSHA, GARUDADHWAJA OR KAPIDHWAJA RATHA. [The largest Ratha around 45.6ft] | Red & Yellow |
| Lord Balabhadra | TALADHWAJA or LANGALADHWAJA (45ft approx) | Red and Blue |
| Maa Subhadra | DEVADALANA , DARPADALANA, PADMADHWAJA [43ft,3 inches approx in tallness] | Red & Black |
The Chariots Info:
| Chariot Name | Guardian | HORSES | Canopy | FLAG NAME | ROPE |
| NANDIGHOSHA | Garuda | 4 (WHITE) | Yellow & Red | Trailokyamohini | Shankhachuda |
| TALADHWAJA or LANGALADHWAJA | Vasudeva | 4 (BLACK) | Green & Red | Unnani | Basukhi |
| DEVADALANA , DARPADALANA, PADMADHWAJA | Jayadurga | 4 (RED) | Black & Red | Nadambika | Swarnachuda |
| Dieties are taken from Jagannath Temple to which temple | The house of their aunt, Gundicha, that is Gundicha Temple. |
| Return Journey of the Dieties is | The Bahuda Yatra |