Jagannath Rath Yatra: The Chariot of Faith

Jagannath Rath Yatra: The Chariot of Faith

When more than five hundred thousand people assemble at a place to celebrate a departure, when a whole city is caught in some frenzy and dances in sync on some mesmeric devotional song, when diseases vanish just by the touch of the ropes of a huge chariot, when all troubles end at the mere sight of the dark elusive god, there must be some strong reason, some powerful historical truth behind it all!

The reason indeed is there. It is the occasion of the yearly sojourn of Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subadhara to his aunt and their garden house. After five days the Lord returns to the temple and the journey is called Ultarath. The entire thing may sound a bit bizarre to people unknown to the faith and traditions of Puri, a small coastal town in Orissa. But for the believers it is the most sacred festival for which preparations are made for months.

Celebrations begin in July, and the venue is one of the largest Vishnu temples of the world built in the 12th century by the king of Kalinga Anantavarman Chodaganga. The temple, one of the finest expositions of Pancharatha style of architecture and the "white pagoda" of the ancient seafarers is the home to the deity whose yearly procession pulls masses from across the globe.

Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra plays a very significant role in the economic life of the people. In the poverty stricken state of Orissa where droughts and floods beguile all attempts of development, the temple and the yatra associated with it silently do their work. The temple gives employment to a large number of people.

No one knows what historical fact lies behind the Puri Rath Yatra but the truth is, it is a beautiful festival, which symbolizes the humanization of Gods. Today the festival may just seem a medley of a few religious rituals but who knows it might have begun in the remote past as a reformist measure by some insightful priest who wanted to awaken the tyrannical king? Doesn't the symbolic gesture of the king sweeping the path drop a hint?

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