Rath Yatra

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Ratha Yatra is one of the major Hindu festivals associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in 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.This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra to their aunt' s temple (Gundicha Mandir) which is situated at a distance of 2 kilometres 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 openly. The Rath carts themselves are some approximately 50 feet high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event.Millions of people congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad.

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

1 Etymology
2 International Ratha Yatras
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.