The Jagannath Puri Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival associated with the worship of Lord Jagannath, an abstract of lords Vishnu and Krishna. The festival commemorates Lord Jagannath’s annual visit to Gundicha Temple (his birthplace) and Mausi Maa Temple (his aunt’s home), along with his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra.
As part of the festival custom, the three deities of Lord Jagannath, his brother, and sister are taken out of the Jagannath temple in Puri, to visit the 2-km far located Gundicha Temple.
Here’s wishing everyone a Happy Rath Yatra. May Lord Jagannath bless you with peace, joy, and prosperity!
What is Jagannath Rath Yatra?
Rath Yatra is a Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Jagannath, celebrated since centuries in the Indian holy city of Puri. The festival takes place annually on the second day of the waxing cycle of the moon of Ashadha Maasa (the third Hindu Month on the lunar calendar).
The three deities of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra, and younger sister Subhadra are usually worshipped in the sanctum of the Jagannath temple in Puri. But every year on the 2nd day of the third Hindu month of Asadha – the triads are brought out of the temple onto the Bada Danda street of Puri and placed in three huge chariots which are pulled by thousands of devotees, thus transported 2 km away to the Gundicha Temple.
The deities stay at Gundicha temple for nine days, after which they ride the chariots back to their Jagannath Temple. On the way back, the chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple (home of Lord Jagannath’s aunt) where the deities are offered Poda Pitha, a special pancake considered to be the Lord’s favorite.
The Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra festival is also known by the names of Puri Rath Yatra, Ratha Yatra, Ratha Jatra, Chariot Festival, Chariots of Shri Jagannath, Shri Gundicha Yatra, Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra
When is the Festival celebrated?
The Jagannath Ratha Jatra is celebrated annually on the second day of Shukla Pasha (waxing phase of the moon or bright fortnight) of the Hindu lunar month of Ashada. It falls on Wednesday , 23 June .
The Meaning of Terms
Jagannath: Lord Jagannath is a reincarnation of lords Vishnu and Krishna. It is the name of the deity worshipped in Hinduism and Buddhism. The term is a compound word, consisting of “Jagan” meaning Lord and “Nath” meaning universe. It literally means “Lord of the Universe”.
Rath: It is a Sanskrit word, meaning chariot or carriage.
Yatra: It is a Sanskrit word, meaning journey or pilgrimage.
Jagannath Rath Yatra is a journey (procession) of deities accompanied by the public, journeying out of the Jagannath Temple through the Puri streets to the Gundicha Temple.
The Story of Rath Yatra: Why Hindus celebrate Lord Jagannath Festival?
Once upon a time while Lord Jagannath was away, His dearest devotees shed tears in His absence. When Lord Jagannath heard these accounts of immense love in separation, His eyes opened wide and filled with tears, His hair began to stand on end, and His arms and legs shrank as He went into the state of pure spiritual bliss.
Seeing Lord Jagannath in this condition, Balabhadra (his elder brother) and Subhadra (his younger sister) both displayed similar features and went into the state of spiritual bliss. Thus today the deities of Lord Jagannath, Subhadra, and Balabhadra represent this time on Jagannath Rath Yatra.
The festival of Rath Yatra represents Lord Jagannath’s yearning to rejoin with His devotees in Gundi.cha Temple (which was his birthplace) and Mausi Maa Temple (which was his aunt’s home).
As per Hindu tradition, the Lord gets lovesick once a year during the month of Ashadha. To make the Lord happy – the devotees take Him, His elder brother, and younger sister – out of the Jagannath Temple on a lavish procession in a chariot to get together with His devotees in Gundicha Temple which is located 2 miles away to the North. The deities stay there for complete seven days, followed by a visit to their aunt’s home (Mausi Maa Temple) on their return journey back to Jagannath Temple.
Five hundred years ago, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Lord Krishna, requested His devotees to observe Ratha Yatra with great delight and enthusiasm. On this day, Lord Chaitanya used to go down on his knees and scrub the Gundicha sanctuary where Lord Jagannath would stay.
Srila Prabhupada, an Indian spiritual teacher and the originator of the Hare Krishna movement, was deeply attached to Ratha Yatra festival. As a youngster he started observing Ratha-yatra when he was five years of age, utilizing a little home-made cart and pulling it around the area with his friends. Years later, from 1967 until his passing, Srila Prabhupada joined a large number of Hindus in urban areas around the globe and they started celebrating Ratha Yatra Chariot Festival in the streets of London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
What Happens on the Jagannath Rath Yatra Festival?
Rath Jatra festival is celebrated on the second day in the bright fortnight of Ashadha month (usually in the month of June and July). The annual festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, with its main celebrations held at Puri in the Indian state of Odisha.
The Jagannath triad (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra) stay in their main Jaggannath Temple, where they are worshiped every day by hundreds of devotees. But once during the month of Asadha, the triads are brought out of the temple on the Bada Danda (Puri’s main high street). Each of the three idols is placed on huge colorfully decorated chariots and drawn by thousands of devotees to the Gundicha Temple.
This chariot journey continues down the 3-km long Bada Danda avenue of Puri. The Jagannath deities first spend a short time at their aunt’s abode in Mausi Maa Temple (which is situated at the mid-way of Bada Danda of Puri) and reach the main destination, the Gundicha Temple before nightfall. The deities remain inside the chariot on the first day and enter Gundicha temple on the morning of the second day. The deities then reside at the Gundicha Temple for the next seven days complete.
After the seven-day stay at Gundicha Temple, the divine trinity leaves the temple and journeys back to their main temple in Jagannath, traveling in their chariots. On the way back, the deities stop again for a short time at their aunt’s abode (Mausi Maa Temple) and continue their journey back.
The idols reach Jagannath Temple in the evening and wait outside. On the next day (the 9th and last day of the festival), the idols are adorned with new clothes and are placed again into the temple, marking an end to the Jagannath Rath Yatra Puri Festival.
The Chariots of Rath Yatra Festival
The three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are newly constructed each year for the Ratha Jatra festival. The wood of special trees like phassi and dhausa is used for the construction of the chariot. Each chariot takes about 2 months to be completely constructed, decorated, and painted.
Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosa. It is the largest and most beautiful chariot, measuring 45-feet high and 35-feet square. It has 16 huge wooden wheels. It has wrappings of red and yellow color clothes.
Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is called Taladhwajah. It measures 43-feet high and 33-feet square. It has 14 huge wooden wheels. It has wrappings of red and bluish green color clothes.
Goddess Subhadra’s chariot is called Darpadalana. It is 42-feet high and 31.6-feet square. It has 12 huge wooden wheels. It has wrappings of red and black color clothes.
Happy Rath Yatra Wishes
- Happy Rathyatra! May Lord Jagannath bless you with joy, happiness, and prosperity.
- Wishing you all the best for this Rath Yatra. May you and your family stay happy and gather enough strength to fight all the evils of this world.
- Jai Baba Jagannath! Let’s celebrate the glory of Lord Jagannath to destroy the evil from the face of earth… Happy Jagannath Rath Yatra
- May Lord Jagannath bring in the best colours of success, prosperity and happiness to your life. Wishing you and your family blessed Rath Yatra!
- May Lord Jagannath bless you all with success, happiness & peace. Jai Shri Jagannath
- The centuries-old festival of chariots celebrates a day of universal brotherhood, love, compassion and togetherness to honor the Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the universe. Happy Rath Yatra to all the followers.
- With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, may our country scale new heights of growth. May every Indian be happy and prosperous. Jai Jagannath!
- May Mahaprabhu Jagannath bless you and your family with joy and happiness on this holy occasion of Rath Yatra.
- Let’s Celebrate Glory of Lord Jagannath. Happy Jagannath Rath Yatra!
- Wishing friends Happy Rath Yatra, the beautiful, colourful festival of chariots. Enjoy the celebrations.
- May Lord Jagannath bless you abundantly and fill your life with the virtue of truth. Happy Rath Yatra to all.
- Happy Ratha Jatra. The observance of the Rath Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the period of the Puranas.
- Wishing everyone a Happy Rath Yatra! May the Lord of the world always shower his blessings on you. Jai Jagannath
- Good morning World with the blessings of Lord jagannath. Happy Rath yatra. May Lord bless you& your family. Namaste
- Wish you all happy Rath Yatra (Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath)
- I take the opportunity of Wishing You All A Very Happy Jagannath Rath Yatra. May we all stay Blessed!
- Happy Rath Yatra ‘Jai Ranchod, Makhan Chor’, Praying for Lord Jagannath’s divine blessings for peace, unity and Sadbhavana among all of us.
- On this auspicious eve of Rath Yatra, let’s wish that our religious journey continue forever. Happy Rath Yatra to all. May lord Jaganath shower his blessings upon us .
- I wish everyone on the occasion of Lord Jagannath’s rath yatra; may Bhagwan Jagannath bless us all!
- On the Auspicious Rath yatra of Lord Jagannatha, we wish all your aspirations will be fulfilled by grace of Lord Jagannatha.
Rath Yatra Wishing SMS & Messages
- On the auspicious occasion of Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra,my sincere wishes for your good health and happiness.
- Greetings on the beginning of Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath & his siblings in Puri. May we continue to progress & prosper with his blessings.
- Greetings on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra. Jai Jagannath!
- Wishing everyone on the auspicious occasion of the Rath Yatra. May Maha Prabhu Jagannath continue to shower his blessings on us.
- My best wishes on the occasion of the Rath Yatra which will be held across India today. I hope & pray that Lord Jagannath’s blessings remain on all of us.
- Ratha Yatra: The festival of humanity! When Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra come out to shower their blessings over all devotees. Happy celebrating.
- On the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra, we should all offer prayers to Lord Jagannath today. The Rath Yatra is a symbol of rich heritage and divine aura of our God’s. May god bless and fulfill everyone’s wishes.
- Greetings to every Indian as the pious Rath Yatra begins today. One can take a glimpse of India’s rich heritage and divine aura as devotees from across the world take part in Jagannath Rath Yatra festival to seek God’s blessings and fulfill their wishes.
- Witnessed a large procession of people celebrating Rath Yatra! Incredible! A great festival has arrived in my state! Jai Jagannath!
- Puri Rath Yatra ,the festival of one of its kind has begun today at Jagannath Dham. May this annual car festival bring peace in everyone’s life and destroy the evil from the face of the earth.
Happy Jagannath Rath Yatra Greetings
- Greetings to everyone on the auspicious occasion of Shri Jagannathji Rath Yatra. May Bhagwan Jagannath bless us and our country with peace and prosperity. Jai Jagannath!
- The centuries-old festival of chariots celebrates a day of universal brotherhood, love, and togetherness to honor the Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the universe. Happy Rath Yatra to all!
- As the Rath Yatra festivities begins, greetings and best wishes to fellow citizens. May the blessings of Lord Jagannath bring peace, happiness and prosperity to everyone’s lives.
- The unique nine-day annual festival of Jagannath Rath Yatra has begun today in Puri. Let’s celebrate the glory of lord Jagannath.
- Praying for the divine blessings of Lord Jagannath on the eve of annual Rath yatra festival.
- I offer my prayers to Lord Jagannath on the occasion of Rath Yatra. Hope the auspicious event strengthens peace and goodness in society.
- Time to celebrate the glory of Lord Jagannath is here, Puri Rath Yatra, the lord of the universe is coming!
- Warmest greetings on the occasion of Holy Jagannath Rath Yatra.
- My best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Rath Yatra. May Lord Jagannath’s blessings bring prosperity for all!
- Only festival in the world where deity is taken out of the temple. Century’s biggest Rath Yatra begins in Puri. Jai Jagannath Greetings to everyone!
Rath Yatra Status for Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
- On the occasion of Jagannath Rath Jatra, my special greetings to Lord Jagannath devotees across the world. Jai Jagannath!
- On the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra my heartiest wishes to all of you. Jai Jagannath.
- Sacred Rath Yatra greetings to all in Puri & millions around the world!
- Warm greetings to the people on the occasion of Rath Yatra. We bow to Lord Jagannath on this auspicious day.
- Millions throng at Puri just to catch a glimpse & touch the feet of Lord Jagganath today during the annual Rath Jatra. May Lord Jagannath bless us abundantly and fill our lives with virtue of truth and eternal compassion.