The six-day rath yatra festival at Puri is the most magnificent yatra in India that is
witnessed by millions of devotees every year, writes M. J. Raju

JUNE 24 marks the beginning of the six-day Rath yatra at Puri. The festival commemorates Krishna’s return to his home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there and is the most magnificent of the Rath yatras in India, drawing millions of devotees to witness it. It is estimated that from July to the January of the subsequent year, there are literally thousands of Rath yatras all over India. "It’s the one festival in India where millions of people come from all over the country to celebrate and includes all deities. Thousands of years ago, certain people weren’t allowed to worship in India but the significance of the ceremony is that everyone can. To demonstrate humility, even the king sweeps off the street prior to the chariot being pulled down the street."

In fact the festival has spread all over the world, where ever Indians professing Hindu religion are present and has become a common sight in most major cities of the world, since 1968, through the ISKCON Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully transplanted the festival, which now happens on an annual basis in places all over the world in over 100 cities including London, Montreal, Paris, New York, Toronto.

Each rath yatra has its own norms/taboos/customs and traditions. It starts from the very construction of the chariots. For example at Puri the three chariots for the three deities are built to strict religious specifications.

Nandighosha is the chariot of Lord Jagannath and is a little more than 33 feet high. It originally had 18 wheels representing the ‘astadasa siddhi’ or 18 categories of spiritual success the Hindus long for. But to minimiase its potential accidents, the number of wheels has since been reduced to 16. As many as 832 logs are required for the construction of this chariot. Jagannatha’s chariot is painted yellow and is covered by red and golden cotton cloth.

Taladhvaja is the chariot of Lord Balabhadra and is a little more than 32 feet high with 14 wheels. According to available accounts, 763 pieces of wooden log are required for the construction of this chariot. Balabhadra’s chariot is painted blue and covered by red and green cotton cloth.

Devadalana is the chariot of Goddess Subhadra and is a little more than 31 feet high with 12 wheels. As many as 593 pieces of wood are required for the construction of this chariot. This chariot is painted black and covered by red and black cotton cloth.

Again when it comes to pulling the holy vehicle the traditions observed are different. In Baripada a small town in Northern Orissa, the most unique feature is that the chariot of goddess Subhadra is pulled only by women, thus adding more colour to the celebrations.

The maximum number of chariots for the Gods are in Tamil Nadu as there are more than 900 massive wooden vehicles, distributed over famous temples of Tamil Nadu. Each has at least 250 individually carved pieces decorating them and the wealth of iconography is not just immense, but as varied in their expression as the imagination of the people who made them. The chariot is mostly made of wood, figures of gods and goddesses, geometric designs, floral scrolls and friezes of animals such as lion and elephant are carved on the chariot. The temple chariot woodcarvers and carpenters in Tamil Nadu are a caste by themselves and are known as Kammaalar caste.

But now, the patronage of the traditional crafts decorating the chariots, demanding fine detailing has petered down, so the number of craftsmen practicing the art has decreased.

Ancient Sanskrit scriptures furnish interesting descriptions of the chariots. They are modeled as miniature replica of the temple itself. When not in use, the chariot is usually kept in a hall or pavilion within or close to the temple. This pavilion itself is called the "Ratha mandapa". Some of the halls or mandapas in the temples were built with huge stone wheels to resemble a chariot.

The temple chariots vary in size and often have the height of 20 metres of intricate carving. In this matter the chariot is like a huge vimana/celestial vehicle resting on four to eight massive wheels; it serves as a shrine and platform for the temple deity. The effects are very grand as elaborately decorated colourful cloth panels are tied to the wooden structure.

On the "Ratha Utsava" or the chariot festival the processional deity is brought to the chariot before sunrise. The deity is bathed and adorned with flowers, silk garments and jewels before being pulled by the devotees in the chariot. It is believed that the God sanctifies those who pull the chariot.

As a rule the chariot car carries the festival deity on the highest platform, crowned with jewels and garlanded with flowers.

With the deity on the wooden base are a large painted wooden charioteer, two painted wooden guardians and two prancing white horses. The fully decorated temple car is pulled with thick ropes by devotees through the streets of the village or town during a special festival, once a year. In a way they are mobile temples. They are vehicles on which the gods can go on a walkabout so that they can be seen by the common folk.

In some places like Udupi in South India more than one chariot is used. Three huge bulbous-domed, wood-carved chariots move around the temple courtyards pulled by hundreds of pilgrims. In the holy South Indian city of Chidambaram there are five chariots for the devotees to pull and worship.

In addition to being the symbol of religious fervour, the thousands of rathyatras all over India also give a boost to the local economy, as the whole temple town becomes a major fair, ensuring sale of handicrafts and other manually produced items. — MF

HOME