What Makes the Ratha Yatra Festival in Puri So Special?

Bhubaneswar, June 27 (NationPress) Religious enthusiasm enveloped the coastal town of Puri in Odisha as the magnificent Ratha Yatra festival kicked off on Friday with the sacred triad -- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra -- emerging from their sanctum sanctorum during the revered ‘Pahandi’ ritual.

During this Pahandi ritual, the holy siblings, accompanied by other deities, are escorted from the 12th-century shrine to their respective chariots in a grand ceremonial procession, characterized by the captivating and divine sounds of traditional musical instruments such as ghanta, kahali, and telingi baja.

The celestial weapon of Lord Krishna, Chakraraj Sudarshan, was first brought and placed on the chariot of Goddess Subhadra, followed by Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and ultimately, Lord Jagannath.

As per tradition, after completing the Pahandi ritual, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and his disciples perform puja for the holy siblings on their chariots. Following this, Puri King Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb offers prayers to the deities and carries out the ceremonial sweeping of the chariots with a golden broom.

After the Puri King’s service, devotees pull the chariots towards the Gundicha temple, the birthplace and garden house of Lord Jagannath, located approximately 3km from the main temple.

On Friday, lakhs of devotees flocked to the sacred city of Puri to glimpse Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra while pulling their chariots, Nandighosha, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalana respectively.

Filled with devotion, devotees chanted the sacred phrases ‘Jai Jagannath’, ‘Hari Bol’ and danced in pure ecstasy. The annual chariot festival takes place on Dwitiya Tithi, the second day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Ashadha month in the Hindu calendar, considered spiritually auspicious due to the increasing brightness of the moon.

Renowned scholar on Jagannath culture, Suryanarayan Rath Sharma, remarked on the Rath Yatra, stating, “The Rath Yatra is the most ancient chariot festival in the world... It is believed that having darshan of Lord Jagannath during this Yatra grants a devotee moksha.”

Various state government departments have made extensive preparations to ensure a seamless and incident-free Rath Yatra. The holy city of Puri has been secured under a five-tiered security blanket for the nine-day-long festival.

Approximately 200 platoons of police, along with eight companies of the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, and commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG), have been deployed throughout the sacred coastal town to prevent any untoward incidents during the Ratha Yatra.

Moreover, around 10,000 personnel from the Odisha Police, Central Armed Police Force, and Home Guard have been stationed in Puri and its surrounding areas during this year’s Ratha Yatra.