131st annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Ahmedabad
Every year in mid-summer, Lord Jagannath, with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, goes on vacation, travelling on grand chariots, from his temple in Puri, to his garden palace in the countryside. This belief of the Hindus has given rise to one of the biggest religious festivals in India — the Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival. This is also the etymological origin of the English word ‘Juggernaut’.
Jagannath, believed to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu, is the Lord of Puri — the coastal town of Orissa in eastern India. Rath Yatra is of great significance to the Hindus, and especially to the people of Orissa. It is during this time that the three deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in a grand procession in specially made gigantic temple-like chariots called raths, which are pulled by thousands of devotees.
Historical Origin
Many believe that the custom of placing idols on grand chariots and pulling them is of Buddhist origin. Fa Hien, the Chinese historian, who visited India in the 5th century AD, had written about the chariot of Buddha being pulled along public roads.
The Origin of ‘Juggernaut’
History has it that when the British first observed the Rath Yatra in the 18th century, they were so amazed that they sent home shocking descriptions which gave rise to the term ‘juggernaut’, meaning “destructive force”. This connotation may have originated from the occasional but accidental death of some devotees under the chariot wheels caused by the crowd and commotion.
How the Festival is Celebrated
The festival begins with the Ratha Prathistha or invoking ceremony in the morning, but the Ratha Tana or chariot pulling is the most exciting part of the festival, which begins in the late afternoon when the chariots of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhdra start rolling. Each of these carriages have different specifications: The chariot of Lord Jagannath is called Nandighosa, has 18 wheels and is 23 cubits high; the chariot of Balabhadra, called Taladhvaja has 16 wheels and is 22 cubits high; Devadalana, the chariot of Subhadra has 14 wheels and is 21 cubits high.
Each year these wooden chariots are constructed anew in accordance with religious specifications. The idols of these three deities are also made of wood and they are religiously replaced by new ones every after 12 years. After a nine-day sojourn of the deities at the country temple amidst festivities, the divine summer vacation gets over and the three return to the city temple of Lord Jagannath.
Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad
The Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad stands next to the Puri festival in grandeur and crowd-pulling. Nowadays, there are not just the thousands of people who participate in the Ahmedabad event, there are also communication satellites which the police use under the global positioning system to chart the course of the chariots on a map on the computer screen to monitor them from a control room. This is because Ahmedabad Rath Yatra has a bloody record. The last violent Rath Yatra which the city saw was in 1992, when the city suddenly became surcharged with communal riots. And, as you know, is a very riot-prone state!
Rath Yatra 2008
All preparations have been made for the 131st annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath which will be taken out from the historical Jagannath Temple at Jamalpur here on July 4.
Temple chief priest Rameshwardasji Maharaj told reporters here today that work on decorating the three main chariots — that of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balram and Shubhadra — had been completed by the devotees and ”sadhus”.
The ”Yatra” will be flagged off by Chief Minister Narendra Modi after performing ”pooja” at 0700 hrs on July 4.
All preparations have been made for the 131st annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath which will be taken out from the historical Jagannath Temple at Jamalpur here on July 4.
Temple chief priest Rameshwardasji Maharaj told reporters here today that work on decorating the three main chariots — that of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balram and Shubhadra — had been completed by the devotees and ”sadhus”.
The ”Yatra” will be flagged off by Chief Minister Narendra Modi after performing ”pooja” at 0700 hrs on July 4.
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