Rath Yatra is the annual chariot festival of Bhagwan Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra. They travel on three different Raths and lakhs of people gather to pull the Raths.
❀ Every year, new chariots are constructed, and the construction begins on
Akshaya Tritiya . It takes 2 months for 200 artisans to build the Raths.
❀ The design and dimensions of the chariots never change during the
Ratha Yatra . More than 100 carpenters work on more than 1000 wooden logs to build a chariot.
❀ The canopies for the chariots are made of 1200 meters of cloth. A team of 15 tailors makes the canopies.
❀ The ropes used for pulling the chariot are made of coconut fiber and are 8 inches thick in diameter.
❀ Shastras say,
rathe cha vamanam dristva punar janma na vidyate – one who sees the Jagannatha Deities on the Rath, there is no rebirth for him.
Anasar Rituals of Bhagwan Jagannath
Nandighosa – Chariot of Lord Jagannath
❀ Number of wheels - 16
❀ Total number of wooden pieces - 832
❀ Height - 13.5m.
❀ Color of cloth wrappings - Red, Yellow
❀ Guarded by - Garuda
❀ Names of charioteers - Daruka
❀ The flag - Trailokyamohini
❀ The horses - Shankha, Balahaka, Shweta, Haridashva
❀ The ropes - Sankhachuda
❀ Presiding nine Deities - Varaha, Govardhana, Krushna, Gopi - Krishna, Rama, Narayana, Trivikrama, Hanuman and Rudra
Taladhwaja – Chariot of Lord Balabhadra
❀ Number of wheels - 14
❀ Total number of wooden pieces - 763
❀ Height - 13.2m.
❀ Color of cloth wrappings - Red, Green
❀ Guarded by - Vasudev
❀ Names of charioteers - Matali
❀ The flag - Unnani
❀ The horses - Tibara, Ghora, Dirghashrama, Swarnanava
❀ The ropes - Basuki
❀ Presiding nine Deities - Varaha, Govardhana, Krushna, Gopi - Krishna, Rama, Narayana, Trivikrama, Hanuman and Rudra
Darpadalana (or Padmadhwaja) – Chariot of Goddess Subhadra
❀ Number of wheels - 12
❀ Total number of wooden pieces - 593
❀ Height - 12.9m.
❀ Color of cloth wrappings - Red, Black
❀ Guarded by - Jayadurga
❀ Names of charioteers - Arjuna
❀ The flag - Nadambika
❀ The horses - Rochika, Mochika, Jita, Aparajita
❀ The ropes - Swarnachuda
❀ Presiding nine Deities - Chandi, Chamunda, Ugratara, Vanadurga, Shulidurga, Varahi, Shyama Kali, Mangala and Vimala