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 means 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