At the Rath Yatra In Puri, Witness a Divine Juggernaut

It’s a beautiful place to visit almost any time of the year with its famous temples, air of piety and the magnificent grey waves of the Bay of Bengal mercilessly lashing its coastline. But visiting Puri during the month of July when the city is in the middle of celebrating one of India’s most famous religious carnivals, the Jagannath Rath Yatra, has its own advantages. For the religious minded, this is not just any ordinary trip considering Puri is one of the four dhams that a Hindu must visit during his or her lifetime. If ancient religious texts are to be believed, it is an event, participation in which can guarantee a release from the vicious cycle of birth and death. 

Rooted in History

The Rath Yatra is the symbolic journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and his sister Subhaddra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Mata temple, some three kilometers away, on massive chariots especially made for the occasion. This divine journey is undertaken each year during the beginning of the monsoon season in Orissa and is a kind of summer retreat for the gods who reside and rejuvenate at this temple for a period of nine days and then make the return journey to their permanent abode. The Rath Yatra is said to have begun as early as the 12^th century. However, there are references to the yatra in the Puranas as well. The famous Italian traveler Marco Polo had witnessed the yatra during his visit to Orissa and India and mentions it in his travel accounts in the late 13^th, early 14^th century.

The Jagannath Temple in Puri during the Rath Yatra | Photo Credit: GFDL / Wikimedia

Piety on Wheels

The preparations for the yatra in Puri, Orissa, begin months in advance. The most daunting task is the construction of the wooden chariots, which carry the idols on their journey. These massive chariots are constructed anew each year. Made completely out of wood, the most magnificent one (moving on 18 wheels) is that of Lord Jagannath of course. The chariots are beautiful modes of transportation carved with intricate patterns and with elaborate thrones in the form of inverted lotuses. On the first day of the yatra, the wooden idols of the gods, which are given a ceremonial bath a couple of days ahead of the yatra, are transferred onto these magnificent raths. The path for the gods is sprinkled with perfumed sandalwood water and powder and the chariots are then pulled all the way to the Gundicha Temple by lakhs of devotees. In fact, just the act of getting a hold on the rope and pulling along the chariot is said to be of great religious and spiritual significance and earns a devotee several brownie points. This, the actual yatra, is the most inspiring and awaited part of the event and witnessed by lakhs of visitors, tourists and devotees from across the world.

Did you Know it’s a Juggernaut?

Interestingly, the Jagannath yatra is also the genesis of the word ‘juggernaut’. The English, during the Raj era, were so enamored and amazed by the event that they sent back detailed accounts of the yatra to friends, relatives and others in England eventually giving rise to the word juggernaut which means ‘an unstoppable or destructive force that crushes whatever is in its path’. The word is quite apt in fact, considering the fact that each year several devotees lose their lives by being crushed under the massive wheels of the chariots being pulled along by a sea of humanity.

If you’re keen to witness this extraordinary event for yourself, plan your trip today and book flights and hotels only on MakeMyTrip.com!