Hinduism: Details about 'Rathayatra'

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Ratha Yatra is one of the major festivals associated with Lord Jagannath, Puri, Orissa state, India.

It is a large annual festival originating in the city of Puri. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Lord Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area.

Usually the deities - Jagannath (Krishna), Baladeva and Subhadra are worshipped within the temple, but on this one day they are taken through the streets so that everyone can have the fortune of seeing them. The Rath carts themselves are some 50-60 feet high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event.

The festival commemorates Krishna's return to His home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.

Etymology

Rath Yatra consists of two words: rath, meaning a chariot; and yatra, which means a pilgrimage, a journey or a procession. Accordingly, rath yatra describes a procession of chariots, generally drawn by horses. Vedic scripture speaks of Rath in various contexts, and in the epic wars of the Mahabarath, Rathas formed a major means of movement of warriors. There were many famous Rath Yatras in Hindu legend.

International Ratha Yatras

The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities of the world since 1968 through the Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully transplanted

the festival which now happens on an annual basis in places such as London, Paris and New York.

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Ratha Jatra

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rathayatra". A list of the wikipedia authors can be found here.