Hindu festival
Ratha Yatra
|
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Rath_Yatra_Puri_07-11027.jpg/240px-Rath_Yatra_Puri_07-11027.jpg) Three chariots of the deities with the Temple in the background, Puri
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Also called
| Ghosa Jatra
|
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Observed by
| Hindu
|
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Type
| Religious
|
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Begins
| Ashadha
Shukla
Dwitiya
|
---|
Ends
| Ashadha Shukla
Dashami
|
---|
2023 date
| 20 June
|
---|
2024 date
| 7 July
|
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2025 date
| 27 June
|
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2026 date
| 16 July
|
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Frequency
| annual
|
---|
Ratha Yatra
[a]
(
), or
chariot festival
, is any public procession in a chariot.
[3]
[4]
They are held annually during festivals in India,
Nepal
and Sri Lanka.
[5]
The term also refers to the popular annual
Ratha Yatra
of
Puri
.
[6]
that involve a public procession with a chariot with deities
Jagannath
(
Vishnu
avatar),
Balabhadra
(his brother),
Subhadra
(his sister) and
Sudarshana Chakra
(his weapon) on a
ratha
, a wooden
deula
-shaped chariot.
[7]
[8]
Ratha Yatra processions have been historically common in Vishnu-related (Jagannath, Rama, Krishna) traditions in
Hinduism
across India,
[9]
in Shiva-related traditions,
[10]
saints and goddesses in Nepal,
[11]
with
Tirthankaras
in
Jainism
,
[12]
as well as tribal folk religions found in the eastern states of India.
[13]
Notable Ratha Yatras in India include the
Ratha Yatra of Puri
, the
Dhamrai Ratha Yatra
in
Bangladesh
and the
Ratha Yatra of Mahesh
. Hindu communities outside India, such as in Singapore, celebrate Ratha Yatra such as those associated with
Jagannath
,
Krishna
,
Shiva
and
Mariamman
.
[14]
According to Knut Jacobsen, a
Ratha Yatra
has religious origins and meaning, but the events have a major community heritage, social sharing and cultural significance to the organizers and participants.
[15]
Western impressions of the Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Puri as a display of unstoppable force are the origin of the English word
juggernaut
.
Ratha Yatra
in Hinduism
Viswanatha (
Shiva
) and Visalakshi (
Parvati
) chariot festival in Kerala
| Chariot in Tamil Nadu
| Krishna and Arjuna at a
ratha
festival
| A girl as goddess in a Nepalese
ratha
during
Indra Jatra
| | Thiruvizha festival
| A chariot is constructed for use in a Ratha Yatra celebration in London, UK.
| |
|
Etymology
[
edit
]
Ratha Yatra is derived from two Sanskrit words,
Ratha
, which means chariot or carriage, and
Yatra
which means journey or pilgrimage.
[16]
In other Indian languages such as
Odia
, the phonetic equivalents are used, such as
jatra
.
Description
[
edit
]
Ratha Yatra
is a journey in a chariot accompanied by the public. It typically refers to a procession (journey) of deities, people dressed like deities, or simply religious saints and political leaders.
[5]
The term appears in medieval texts of India such as the
Puranas
, which mention the Ratha Yatra of
Surya
(Sun god), of
Devi
(Mother goddess), and of
Vishnu
. These chariot journeys have elaborate celebrations where the individuals or the deities come out of a temple accompanied by the public journeying with them through the
Ksetra
(region, streets) to another temple or to the river or the sea. Sometimes the festivities include returning to the sacrosanctum of the temple.
[5]
[17]
Traveler
Fa-Hien
who visited India during 400 CE notes the way temple car festivals were celebrated in India.
The cities and towns of this country [Magadha] are the greatest of all in the Middle Kingdom [Mathura through Deccan]. The inhabitants are rich and prosperous, and vie with one another in the practice of benevolence and righteousness. Every year on the eighth day of the second month they celebrate a procession of images. They make a four-wheeled car, and on it erect a structure of four storeys by means of bamboos tied together. This is supported by a king-post, with poles and lances slanting from it, and is rather more than twenty cubits high, having the shape of a tope. White and silk-like cloth of hair is wrapped all round it, which is then painted in various colours. They make figures of devas, with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli grandly blended and having silken streamers and canopies hung out over them. On the four sides are niches, with a Buddha seated in each, and a Bodhisattva standing in attendance on him. There may be twenty cars, all grand and imposing, but each one different from the others. On the day mentioned, the monks and laity within the borders all come together; they have singers and skillful musicians; they pay their devotion with flowers and incense. The Brahmans come and invite the Buddhas to enter the city. These do so in order, and remain two nights in it. All through the night they keep lamps burning, have skillful music, and present offerings. This is the practice in all the other kingdoms as well. The Heads of the Vaisya families in them establish in the cities houses for dispensing charity and medicines. All the poor and destitute in the country, orphans, widowers, and childless men, maimed people and cripples, and all who are diseased, go to those houses, and are provided with every kind of help, and doctors examine their diseases. They get the food and medicines which their cases require, and are made to feel at ease; and when they are better, they go away of themselves.
Places
[
edit
]
Jagannath Ratha Yatra, Puri (Odisha)
[
edit
]
During the
Jagannath Ratha Yatra
, the triads are usually worshiped in the sanctum of the
temple
at
Puri
, but once during the month of
Asadha
(Rainy Season of
Odisha
, usually falling in month of June or July), they are brought out onto the Bada Danda (main street of Puri)
[19]
and travel (3 km) to the Shri
Gundicha Temple
, in huge chariots (
ratha
), allowing the public to have
dar?ana
(Holy view). This festival is known as Ratha Yatra, meaning the journey (
yatra
) of the chariots (
ratha
). The Rathas are huge wheeled wooden structures, which are built anew every year and are pulled by the devotees. The chariot for Jagannath is approximately 45 feet high and 35 feet square.
The artists and painters of Puri decorate the chariots and paint flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne.
The Ratha Yatra is also termed as the 'Shri Gundicha Yatra'.
The most significant ritual associated with the Ratha Yatra is the
chhera pahara
. During the festival, the
Gajapati King
wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and chariots in the
Chera Pahara
(sweeping with water) ritual. The Gajapati King cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with utmost devotion. As per the custom, although the Gajapati King has been considered the most exalted person in the
Kalingan
kingdom, he still renders the menial service to Jagannath. This ritual signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the most humble devotee.
[22]
Chera pahara
is held on two days, on the first day of the Ratha Yatra, when the deities are taken to garden house at
Mausi Maa Temple
and again on the last day of the festival, when the deities are ceremoniously brought back to the Shri Mandir.
As per another ritual, when the deities are taken out from the Shri Mandir to the Chariots in
Pahandi Vijay
.
In the Ratha Yatra,
[23]
the three deities are taken from the Jagannath Temple in the chariots to the
Gundicha Temple
, where they stay for nine days. Thereafter, the deities again ride the chariots back to Shri Mandir in
bahuda jatra
. On the way back, the three chariots halt at the Mausi Maa Temple and the deities are offered
Poda Pitha,
a kind of baked cake which are generally consumed by the people of Odisha.
The observance of the Ratha Yatra of Jagannath dates back to the period of the Puranas. Vivid descriptions of this festival are found in
Brahma Purana
,
Padma Purana
, and
Skanda Purana
.
[24]
Kapila Samhita also refers to Ratha Yatra. In
Moghul
period also, King Ramsingh of
Jaipur
,
Rajasthan
has been described as organizing the Ratha Yatra in the eighteenth century. In
Odisha
, Kings of
Mayurbhanj
and
Parlakhemundi
were organizing the Ratha Yatra, though the most grand festival in terms of scale and popularity takes place at Puri.
Moreover, Starza
notes that the ruling
Ganga dynasty
instituted the Ratha Yatra at the completion of the great temple around 1150 CE. This festival was one of those Hindu festivals that was reported to the Western world very early.
Friar Odoric
of Pordenone visited India in 1316?1318, some 20 years after
Marco Polo
had dictated the account of his travels while in a
Genoese
prison.
In his own account of 1321, Odoric reported how the people put the "idols" on chariots, and the King and Queen and all the people drew them from the "church" with song and music.
International Jagannath Ratha Yatra
[
edit
]
The ISKCON Jagganath deities after the Ratha-Jatra at the Parade Brigade Ground, Dharmatala, Kolkata.
The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities of the world since 1968 through the
Hare Krishna
movement. Local chapters put on the festival annually in over a hundred cities worldwide.
[29]
Dhamrai Jagannath Rathayatra
[
edit
]
Dhamrai Jagannath Ratha
is a chariot temple, a
Roth
, dedicated to the
Hindu
God
Jagannath
located in
Dhamrai
,
Bangladesh
. The annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra is a famous Hindu festival attracting thousands of people. The Ratha Yatra in Dhamrai is one of the most important events for the Hindu community of Bangladesh.
[30]
The original historical Roth was burnt down by the Pakistan Army in 1971.
[17]
The Roth has since been rebuilt with Indian assistance.
Iskcon Swamibagh, Dhaka Rathyatra
[
edit
]
Iskcon Swamibagh
is a temple dedicated to the
Hindu
God
Krishna
located in Swamibagh,
Dhaka
. The annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra is a famous Hindu festival attracting thousands of people. The Ratha Yatra in Swamibagh is one of the most important events for the Hindu community of Bangladesh.
Swamibagh Iskcon Temple
' s
Ratha
or
Chariot
is passing through a busy road in
Dhaka
. Disciples of
Iskcon
and
Hindus
pulling the Ratha to reach their destination.
Rathayatra of Mahesh
[
edit
]
The Rathayatra of Mahesh is the second oldest
chariot
festival in
India
(after the Rath Yatra]] at Puri) and the oldest in
Bengal
,
[31]
having been celebrated since 1396 CE.
[32]
It is a month-long festival held at Mahesh in
Serampore
of
West Bengal
and a grand fair is held at that time. People throng to have a share in pulling the long ropes (Roshi) attached to the chariots of Lord
Jagannath
,
Balarama
and
Subhadra
on the journey from the temple to Gundicha Bari (Masir bari) and back.
Subhadra
is worshipped with
Krishna
in Jagannath Yatra.
[33]
Manipur
[
edit
]
The practice of Ratha Yatra in
Manipur
was introduced in the nineteenth century. The
Khaki Ngamba
chronicle mentions that on a Monday in either April or May 1829, the
King of Manipur
Gambhir Singh
was passing through
Sylhet
whilst on a British expedition against the
Khasis
. Two processions were being prepared by Sylhet's
Muslim
and
Hindu
communities respectively. The
Islamic month
of
Muharram
in the
history of Sylhet
was a lively time during which
tazia
processions were common. This happened to fall on the same day as Ratha Yatra. Sensing possible communal violence, the Faujdar of Sylhet,
Ganar Khan
, requested the Hindu community to delay their festival by one day. Contrary to the Nawab's statement, a riot emerged between the two communities. As a
Hindu
himself, Singh managed to defend the Hindus and disperse the Muslim rioters with his Manipuri troops. The Ratha Yatra was not delayed, and Singh stayed to take part in it. Revered by the Hindu community as a defender of their faith, he enjoyed the procession and initiated the practice of celebrating Ratha Yatra and worshipping
Jagannath
in his own homeland of
Manipur
.
[34]
Examples
[
edit
]
Left: A 1914 painting of a
chariot festival
(Ratha Yatra) in Chennai; Right: A
Matsyendranath
Ratha Yatra in Nepal
- Ratha-Jatra
,
Puri
, at Puri in the state of Odisha, is the largest and most visited Ratha Yatra in the world attracting a large crowd every year.
- Baripada Ratha Yatra is the second oldest in the world. So
Baripada
is also called as Dwitiya Shrikhetra or 2nd Puri. Ratha Jatra has been celebrated here since 1575 without any interruption.
- Ratha Yatra of
Kendujhar
is the second largest Ratha Yatra in the world. The Keonjhar Ratha (Chariot) -
Nandighosh
is the Tallest Ratha in the World.
- Rath Yatra (Ahmedabad)
- Ratha Yatra also takes place in
Ahmedabad
,
Gujarat State
, which is known to be the third largest in the world.
[35]
- Sukinda Ratha Yatra in Odisha is also known to attract a large number of devotees.
- Dhamrai Rathayatra
, at Dhamrai in Bangladesh, is the most famous Ratha Yatra in Bangladesh.
- ISKCON
Dhaka
Ratha Jatra is the second famous Ratha Jatra in Bangladesh.
- Rajbalhat
Ratha Jatra, West Bengal, India.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Other transliterations include
Ratha Jatra
,
Rathayatra
, and
Rathajatra
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"National Portal of India"
.
india.gov.in
.
Archived
from the original on 8 August 2020
. Retrieved
3 August
2020
.
- ^
"National Portal of India"
.
india.gov.in
.
Archived
from the original on 6 February 2021
. Retrieved
3 August
2020
.
- ^
Lavanya Vemsani (2016).
Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names
. ABC-CLIO. p. 135.
ISBN
978-1-61069-211-3
.
- ^
Christophe Jaffrelot (1999).
The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s
. Penguin Books. pp. 416?421.
ISBN
978-0-14-024602-5
.
- ^
a
b
c
Michaels; Cornelia Vogelsanger; Annette Wilke (1996).
Wild Goddesses in India and Nepal: Proceedings of an International Symposium, Berne and Zurich, November 1994
. P. Lang. pp. 270?285.
ISBN
978-3-906756-04-2
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- ^
Peter J. Claus; Sarah Diamond; Margaret Ann Mills (2003).
South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
. Taylor & Francis. pp. 515?.
ISBN
978-0-415-93919-5
.
- ^
Lavanya Vemsani (2016).
Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names
. ABC-CLIO. p. 135.
ISBN
978-1-61069-211-3
.
- ^
Mandai, Paresh Chandra (2012).
"Rathajatra"
. In
Islam, Sirajul
; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.).
Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh
(Second ed.).
Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Bruce M. Sullivan (2001).
The A to Z of Hinduism
. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 100, 166, 209.
ISBN
978-0-8108-4070-6
.
- ^
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Puja and Piety: Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Art from the Indian Subcontinent
. University of California Press. pp. 72?74 with Figures 23?25.
ISBN
978-0-520-28847-8
.
- ^
J.P. Losty (2004). David M. Waterhouse (ed.).
The Origins of Himalayan Studies: Brian Houghton Hodgson in Nepal and Darjeeling, 1820-1858
. Routledge. pp. 93?94 with Figure 5.11.
ISBN
978-0-415-31215-8
.
- ^
Virendra Kumar Sharma (2002).
History of Jainism: With Special Reference to Mathur?
. DK. p. 162.
ISBN
978-81-246-0195-2
.
- ^
Ajit K. Singh (1982).
Tribal Festivals of Bihar: A Functional Analysis
. Concept. pp. 30?33.
- ^
Vineeta Sinha (2008). Knut A. Jacobsen (ed.).
South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora
. Routledge. pp. 159?174.
ISBN
978-1-134-07459-4
.
- ^
Knut A. Jacobsen (2008). Knut A. Jacobsen (ed.).
South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora
. Routledge. pp. 8?11, 200?201.
ISBN
978-1-134-07459-4
.
- ^
Nori J. Muster (2013).
Betrayal of the Spirit
. University of Illinois Press. p. 38.
ISBN
978-0-252-09499-6
.
- ^
a
b
Mandai, Paresh Chandra (2012).
"Rathajatra"
. In
Islam, Sirajul
; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.).
Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh
(Second ed.).
Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Fa-Hien (1875).
"
A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms
(Chapter XXVII: Pataliputra or Patna, In Magadha)"
.
gutenberg.org
. Translated (published 415).
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain
.
- ^
"Hopes of Puri Rath Yatra I like Dying Fast"
. Odisha Television. Archived from
the original
on 10 May 2020
. Retrieved
22 May
2020
.
- ^
Karan, Jajati (4 July 2008).
"Lord Jagannath jatra to begin soon"
.
IBN Live
. Archived from
the original
on 2 July 2013
. Retrieved
28 November
2012
.
- ^
"Jagannath Ratha Yatra Festival of Odisha"
.
- ^
Chakraborty, Yogabrata (28 June 2023).
"??????? ? ???????????? ????????? ?????????"
[Puridham and the tale of lord Jagannath's legendary 'Bramharup'].
dainikstatesmannews.com
(in Bengali). Kolkata:
Dainik Statesman
(The Statesman Group). p. 4. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023
. Retrieved
28 June
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
"Festival of India"
. Archived from
the original
on 25 February 2009
. Retrieved
23 December
2012
.
- ^
"Rathajatra festival today"
.
The New Nation, Dhaka
. 24 June 2009. Archived from
the original
on 24 September 2015
. Retrieved
3 September
2012
– via
HighBeam Research
.
- ^
"Rathayatra celebrated in West Bengal"
.
The Hindu
. 4 July 2008.
Archived
from the original on 13 October 2008
. Retrieved
18 October
2008
.
- ^
"Bengal celebrates Rathajatra festival"
.
Monsters and Critics
. 16 July 2007
. Retrieved
18 October
2008
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Why Subhadra is Worshipped with Krishna in Jagannath Yatra"
. July 2011.
Archived
from the original on 7 September 2021
. Retrieved
7 September
2021
.
- ^
Singh, Moirangthem Kirti (1980).
Religious Developments in Manipur in the 18th and 19th Centuries
. Manipur State Kala Akademi. pp. 165?166.
Gonarkhan
- ^
"About Ahmedabad Ratha Jatra : Jamalpur Jagannath Temple"
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
S Banerjee, Partha (2008).
"Dussehra in Bastar -- a riot of colours - Economic Times"
.
indiatimes.com
.
Archived
from the original on 3 February 2015
. Retrieved
9 January
2013
.
The Bastar royal family figures prominently in the script and the props include a huge chariot that is first built, then ritually 'stolen', and then again recovered and pulled ceremonially through the streets of Jagdalpur
- ^
"Tribals celebrate unique Dussehra in Bastar - Oneindia News"
.
news.oneindia.in
. 2008
. Retrieved
11 October
2023
.
Another attraction of this 'tribal Dusshra', is a double-decked Ratha (Chariot) with eight wheels and weighing about 30 tonnes.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Rath Yatra
.
- Das, J. P. (1982),
Puri Paintings: the Chitrakara and his Work
, New Delhi: Arnold Heinemann,
ISBN
9788190158978
- Mitter, P. (1977).
Much Maligned Monsters: A History of European Reactions to Indian Art
. University of Chicago Press.
ISBN
9780226532394
.
- Starza, O. M. (1993),
The Jagannatha Temple at Puri: Its Architecture, Art, and Cult
, BRILL,
ISBN
978-90-04-09673-8
, retrieved
15 December
2012