User:Jai jagannath suwami

Ratha Yatra is a Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannathheld at Puri in the state of Odisha, India. It is the oldest Ratha Yatra taking place in India and the World, whose descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, and Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita.[1]

This annual festival is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month).

The festival commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Temple viaMausi Maa Temple (maternal aunt's home) near Balagandi Chaka, Puri.

As part of Ratha Yatra, the deities of Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra are taken out in a procession out of Jagannath Temple and placed in the Ratha which is known as Pahandi, then the Ratha pulled to the gate of Gundicha Temple; next day again in a procession the deities are brought inside Gundicha Temple, which is known as Pandi of Jagannath Deva, and remain there for nine days. The procession starts with 'Madan Mohan' then 'Sudarshana' Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannath Deva. Then the deities or Ratha Yatra return to the Main temple. The return journey of Puri Jagannath Ratha Jatra is known as Bahuda Jatra or Punar Jatra.

Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri called Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra to their aunt's temple, the Gundicha Temple which is situated at a distance of 2 kms from their temple. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities. During the festival, devotees from all over the world go to Puri with an earnest desire to help pulling the Lords' chariots with the help of other priests with ropes. They consider this as auspicious. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, sounding plates of bell metal, cymbals, etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass and add to the mass chorus. The Ratha carts themselves are approximately 45 feet (14 m) high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event; the chariots are built anew each year only from a particular type of tree. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. It is also broadcast live on many Indian, foreign television channels as well as many of the websites telecast jagannath ratha jatra live.[2]

Contents

 * 1Description
 * 2The Chariots
 * 2.1Nandighosha (ନନ୍ଦିଘୋଷ)
 * 2.2Taladhwaja (ତାଳଧ୍ୱଜ)
 * 2.3Darpadalana(ଦର୍ପଦଳନ )
 * 3Chandana Jatra(ଚନ୍ଦନ ଯାତ୍ରା)
 * 4Suna Besha(ସୁନା ବେଶ)
 * 5The Ratha Yatra and Pahandi of 2015
 * 6International Ratha Yatra
 * 7Service offerings
 * 8References
 * 9External links

Description[edit]
The "Bada Danda" or the Grand Avenue Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariot: Chariots of Shri Jagannath is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Odisha, on the second (dwitiya) day of shukla pakhya (waxing cycle of moon) of Ashadha Maasa (3rd month in Lunar Calendar). The presiding deities of the Jagannath Temple, Puri's main temple, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, with the celestial wheel (Sudarshana Chakra/ସୁଦର୍ଶନ ଚକ୍ର ) are removed from the temple in a ceremonial procession to their chariots. The huge, colourfully decorated chariots are drawn by multitude of devotees on the bada danda, the grand avenue to the Gundicha Temple (Gundicha – King Indradyumna's Queen), two miles away to the North. On the way the chariot of Lord Jagannatha, Nandighosa (ନନ୍ଦିଘୋଷ) waits near the crematorium of Bhakta Salabega (ଭକ୍ତ ସାଲବେଗ) a Muslim devout to pay him tribute.

On their way back from the Gundicha Temple, the three deities stop for a while near the Mausi Maa Temple (Aunt's abode) and have an offering of the Poda Pitha, which is a special type of pancake supposed to be the Lord's favourite. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to their abode. Rath/chariots under construction for the Rath Yatra in Puri Jagannath being brought out of the Puri temple to the Rath Jagannath on his chariot

The Chariots[edit]
The three chariots of Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannatha are newly constructed every year with wood of specified trees like phassi, dhausa, etc. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road.

The three chariots are decorated as per the unique scheme prescribed and followed for centuries stand on the Bada Danda, the Grand Avenue. Covered with bright canopies made of stripes of red cloth and combined with those of black, yellow and green colours, the huge chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the majestic temple close to its eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion's Gate.

Lord Jagannatha's chariot is called Nandighosa. It is forty-five feet high and forty-five feet square at the wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth. Lord Jagannatha is identified with Krishna, who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in golden yellow robes and hence the distinguishing yellow stripes on the canopy of this chariot. Nandighosa Rath The chariot of Lord Balarama, called the Taladhwaja, is the one with the Palm Tree on its flag. It has fourteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter and is covered with red and green cloth. Its height is forty-four feet. Taladhwaja Rath The chariot of Subhadra, known as Dwarpadalana, literally "trampler of pride," is forty-three feet high with twelve wheels, each of seven-foot diameter. This chariot is decked with a covering of red and black cloth – black being traditionally associated with Shakti and the Mother Goddess. Dwarpadalana or Padmadhwaja Rath Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas, painted wooden images representing different deities on the chariots' sides. Each of the chariots is attached to four horses. These are of different colours – dark ones for Balarama, white ones for Jagannatha, and red ones for Subhadra. Each chariot has a charioteer called Sarathi. The three charioteers attached to the chariots of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra respectively are Daruka, Matali and Arjuna.

Descriptions of the Chariots

Nandighosha (ନନ୍ଦିଘୋଷ)[edit]
The chariot of Lord Jagannath is named as Nandighosha or Garudadhwaja or Kapiladhwaja. The Lord is accompanied by Madanmohan. Number of wheels: 16 Total Number of wooden pieces used: 832 Height: 44' 2" Length and breadth: 34'6" x 34'6" Wrappings: Red, Yellow colour cloths Guarded by: Garuda(ଗରୁଡ) Name of the charioteer: Daruka The flag: Trailokyamohini(ତ୍ରୈଲୋକ୍ୟମୋହିନୀ) The horses: Shankha, Balahaka, Suweta, Haridashwa The rope: Sankhachuda Naguni Presiding Nine Deities: 1. Panchamukhi Mahabir 2. Harihara 3. Madhusudana 4. Giri Goverdhan dhari 5. Pandu Narasingha 6. Chitamani Krishna 7. Narayana 8. Chatra Bhanga Rabana 9. Rama & Hanuman (i) riding the chariot

Taladhwaja (ତାଳଧ୍ୱଜ)[e

 * Jagannath rath yatra