The state of Odisha in East India is full of beautiful temples, ancient monuments, freshwater lakes and gorgeous golden beaches Puri, a coastal town in eastern Odisha is popularly known as the Land of Lord Jagannath The magnificent Jagannath temple in Puri is considered to be one of the Char…

1. Home  Arts & Culture  Puri’s Jagannath Rath Yatra – A Spiritual Juggernaut
Puri’s Jagannath Rath Yatra – A Spiritual
Juggernaut
The state of Odisha in East India is full of beautiful temples, ancient monuments, freshwater lakes and
gorgeous golden beaches. Puri, a coastal town in eastern Odisha is popularly known as the Land of Lord
Jagannath.
The magnificent Jagannath temple in Puri is considered to be one of the Char Dhams (four abodes of God),
along with Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram in the south. It is believed by Hindus
of India that worshipping at all the Char Dhams is a short cut to salvation.
As per folklore, a King once dreamt of Lord Jagannath who asked him to build a temple for him. The King built
the Lord Jagannath temple and set three deities in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum – Lord Jagannath (a form
of Lord Krishna), his sister Goddess Subhadra and his brother Lord Balabhadra. The unique feature of
Jagannath temple is that Lord Krishna is worshipped with his siblings and not with his spouse.
Once every year, in the month of June or July, a Rath Yatra (chariot festival) is celebrated at the Jagannath
temple in Puri. The 3 deities of the temple are brought out with a lot of pomp and cheer and placed in three
towering Raths (chariots). These huge wooden Raths are then pulled with the help of ropes by hundreds and
thousands of devotees on the streets of Puri. Interestingly, the word ‘juggernaut’ originated when the British
first observed the Rath Yatra in the 18 century and were amazed by the large and heavy chariots.
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Posted on July 1, 2019 by Sterling Holidays ARTS & CULTURE
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2. The Raths are slowly pulled and navigated for 2 kilometres from Jagannath temple to another temple named
Gundicha, where the deities spend nine days. As per local folklore, a fortnight preceding the Rath Yatra, Lord
Jagannath and his siblings step out of the temple in summer to take bath. They soon fall ill after bathing in the
blazing sun. When they recover and their appetite improves, they step on grand chariots to proceed to their
aunt Gundicha’s house to eat her home-cooked food. They stay at their aunt’s place for nine days to recover
fully and return back to Jagannath temple thereafter. Hence, after nine days, the deities are brought back to the
Jagannath temple with the same festivity.
The Raths in which the deities travel are made out of fresh wood every year by age-old artists and painters.
The chariots resemble temple structures and are intricately carved and painted by the artists. Lord Jagannath’s
chariot is the tallest (45 feet), followed by that of Lord Balabhadra (44 feet) and Goddess Subhadra (43 feet).
It is said that the Lord takes bath in the seaside Rameshwaram temple in the south, proceeds to Puri’s
Jagannath temple in the east for a meal, then goes to meditate towards the north in Badrinath temple and
finally retires in the west at Dwarka temple. Since the Lord eats in Puri, the Jagannath temple serves
Mahabhog (Mahaprasad). The delicious mahaprasad (holy food) that is distributed at the Jagannath temple is
pretty well-known. It is a mixture of 56 holy food items (called as Chhapan Bhog) that are cooked in large
earthen pots in the temple premises. This mahaprasad is first offered to Lord Jagannath and then served to the
people of all castes and creed on a banana leaf.
This year the Jagannath Rath Yatra is to be held on 4th of July and will go on for 9 days. If you plan to witness
this majestic chariot festival, book your stay with Sterling Puri to have a memorable experience. The Sterling
Puri is located right at the point where River Dhaudia meets the Bay of Bengal, hence giving you access to its
own private beach from where you could watch spectacular sunrises. Sterling Puri has 91 well-appointed
rooms and the staff promises to take you on an authentic culinary experience. You can book your Rath Yatra
Source: The Wire
Source: Bhubaneswar Buzz
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3. Copyright Sterling Holidays 2021
experience in advance as a complete package with Sterling Puri that will include accommodation, food and
transport. The best part is that you do not have to queue up in long lines at the temple for the delectable
mahaprasad as it is being served at the Sterling Puri itself. Isn’t that convenient?! So, hurry and book your stay
with Sterling Puri before the rooms are sold out.
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