Rath Yatra, also known as “Car Festival” or “Chariot Festival” is an annual festival which takes place in Puri, Odisha, a state in India. It is famous for being a crowd puller. Every year millions of people arrive in the city to take part in the festival.

This Hindu festival is associated with Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu (not to be confused with avatar).

Every year Lord Jagannath visits his birthplace- Gundicha temple, via Mausi Maa temple (maternal aunt’s temple).

The festival is about Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balaram, sister Goddess Subhadra along with the eternal wheel Sudarshan Chakra journey and visits to his birthplace. It is a seven days’ visit and on the last day when he returns home, he stops for a short while at his maternal aunt’s home, the Mausi Maa temple.

Each of the deities has a chariot of its own.

Lord Jagannath

Lord Jagannath’s Chariot is the largest of all with 16 wheels and 4 white horses.  The name of the chariot is Nandighosha, also known as Garudadhwaja and Kapiladhwaja. The Chariot is also recognised by its red and yellow colour which are most commonly associated with Lord Vishnu among the Hindus. The guardian of the chariot is Garuda and the name of the charioteer is Daruka. The gatekeepers are Jaya and Vijaya. The Lord is accompanied by the deity Madanmohan. Among all the chariots Lord Jagannath’s chariot is the tallest since he’s the most powerful one even if he’s the middle one. The emblem of his flag is the Sudarshana Chakra.

Lord Balabhadra

Lord Balabhadra is the second most powerful among the three siblings, hence the second-largest chariot. His chariot has 14 wheels and 4 horses. His chariot is recognised by the red and bluish-green colour combination and black horses. The emblem of the flag on His chariot is a palm tree. The guardian of his chariot is Vasudev and the charioteer is Matali. The gatekeepers are Nanda and Sunanda. His chariot is called Taladhwaja, also known as Langaladhwaja. He is accompanied by Ramakrishna.

Goddess Subhadra

Goddess Subhadra is the sister. Along with her brothers, she too travels to Lord Jagannath’s birthplace in her red and black chariot, black being associated with the Goddess. Her chariot, Darpadalana, also known as Devadalana or Padmadhwaja has 12 wheels and 4 red horses. Her guardian is Jayadurga and charioteer is Arjun. She is accompanied by the eternal wheel, Sudarshana. The eternal wheel travels with Her, on Her chariot for Her safety. Her gatekeepers are Ganga and Jamuna.

The Yatra (The Journey)

The Rath Yatra takes place starts from a specific place and follows a fixed path. The procession progresses down the Bada Danda, a 3km long road. The chariots are drawn by the many devotees who assemble on this holy day at the Bada Danda. The deities reach their destination, the Gundicha temple, before nightfall. They stay in their respective chariots for the entire night and enter the temple the next day. For the following 7 days, they stay there after which they come back. On the day the deities return many rituals like Suna Besha take place.  

Once they return to their abode in Puri the Rath Yatra ends.  

Note: All images have been taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratha_Yatra_(Puri)