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KarmaVaani

Festival · June–July

Jagannath Rath Yatra

Also known as Ratha Jatra

Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra ride out of the Puri temple on towering chariots pulled by devotees.

A close view of one huge carved wooden chariot wheel painted red and yellow, thick coiled ropes of coir on the sand in the foreground, the street empty, early morning haze

On the Shukla Dwitiya of Ashadha, the three deities of the Jagannath temple at Puri are brought out and placed on three great wooden chariots, newly built each year. Hundreds of thousands pull them along the Grand Road to the Gundicha temple, where the deities stay for a week before the return journey, the Bahuda Yatra.

Why it is kept

It is the one time in the year that the deities leave the temple, so that all may see them regardless of caste or creed.

Step by step

How to observe it

  1. Join or watch the procession

    Pulling a chariot’s rope even for a moment is considered deeply meritorious. Many cities hold their own Rath Yatra.

  2. Offer and receive prasad

    Mahaprasad from the Jagannath temple kitchen is shared without distinction.

  3. Follow the return

    The deities return to the main temple nine days later, in the Bahuda Yatra.

Customs differ between regions, communities and families. Where your family or temple has its own way, follow it.

Fasting

Fasting

Not a fasting day.

Fasts should suit your health. Children, elders, pregnant women and anyone unwell or on medication should eat, or keep a lighter fast; that is the tradition, not an exception to it.

Traditions

  • Pulling the chariots
  • Chhera pahanra, the king sweeping the chariots
  • Rath Yatras in cities worldwide

Where to go

Temples to visit