Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri

26 Jun 2023

Context:

Millions of visitors visit Puri in Odisha to take part in the annual Rath Yatra (car festival) of Lord Jagannath, which began recently.

About Jagannath Rath Yatra:

The Jagannath Rath Yatra is a yearly Hindu festival that commemorates the pilgrimage of Lord Jagannath, elder brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra, as they embark on a nine-day annual sojourn to his birthplace.
The Rath Yatra takes place on the second day of the Odia month of Ashadha Shukla Tithi (bright fortnight) every year to commemorate this journey.
The idols are taken to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay till the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ (returning car festival).
The wheels of the chariots of Jagannath Rath Yatra are made from phasi tree logs.

Jagannath Temple:

It is a temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, in Puri.
The present temple was built in the 12th century and begun by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, first of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
The image of Jagannath is made of wood and is ceremoniously replaced periodically by an exact replica.
It is built in the Kalinga style of architecture, with the Pancharatha (Five chariots) and is built on an elevated platform.
Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to the Hindu beliefs, the power of ‘Yama’, the god of death has been nullified in Puri due to the presence of Lord Jagannath.
- This temple was called the “White Pagoda”