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इतिहास
The history, origin and significance of Jagannath Rath Yatra — where it comes from, what it means, and how it changed over time.
Jagannath Rath Yatra 2026: 16–24 July 20269 daysजगन्नाथ रथ यात्रा
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The Jagannath Rath Yatra is the annual chariot procession of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the Jagannath temple in Puri to the Gundicha temple, about three kilometres away. In 2026 it falls in mid-July. It is the only Hindu festival in which the deities themselves leave the temple and are pulled through the streets by thousands of people on three enormous wooden chariots.
The three chariots — Nandighosa for Jagannath, Taladhwaja for Balabhadra and Darpadalan for Subhadra — are built fresh every year from a specified kind of wood, at a specified size and with a specified number of cloth layers. Construction begins months in advance on Akshaya Tritiya. The wood for the chariots is supplied from designated forests, and the chariots are dismantled after the return journey.
The return journey, Bahuda Yatra, takes place eight days later, followed by Suna Besha, when the deities are dressed in gold, and Niladri Bije, when they re-enter the temple. The Pahandi ritual, in which the deities are moved with a distinctive swaying walk, and the Chhera Pahara, when the Gajapati king of Puri sweeps the chariots with a golden broom, are the two most watched moments.
The festival is famous for its openness — Jagannath is worshipped with no caste restriction on darshan, and on the day of Rath Yatra, sanitation workers traditionally lead the procession. Its scale is enormous, drawing several lakh to Puri each year, and it is one of the very few Indian festivals with a genuinely global footprint, with Rath Yatra processions held in dozens of cities worldwide including London, New York, Toronto and Sydney.
Almost every large Indian festival means something different in different states. That is not a contradiction — it is the history.
The origin. Three chariots on the Bada Danda, the Gajapati king performing Chhera Pahara, and the deities residing at the Gundicha temple for eight days. The scale is second only to the Kumbh among Indian religious gatherings.
Rath Yatra is widely observed, with the Mahesh Rath Yatra in Serampore being the second oldest in India after Puri. Small chariots are pulled in neighbourhoods across both states.
ISKCON holds Rath Yatra processions on the same date in London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Johannesburg and dozens of other cities, which has given the festival an international footprint unusual among Indian festivals.
ISKCON temples and Odia associations hold their own chariot processions, and Jagannath temples in Delhi and Vrindavan see large congregations on the day.
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