Puri (Odisha) [India], Ahead of the Jagannath Rath Yatra in the coastal town of Puri in Odisha, preparations are in full swing for the construction of chariots for the ceremonial procession of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra.
This year the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is scheduled for July 7.
Three new Raths are built every year before the festival begins and are designed in a specific way. They are made of wood and decorated by local artists.
Bal Krishna Moharana, part of the team working on building the chariots for Rath Yatra, said, "Three chariots have been prepared for Prabhuji Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra Maa Subhadra. Jagannath Ji's chariot has 16 wheels, Balabhadra's chariot Mahaprabhu has 14 wheels. And Maa Subhadra's chariot has 12 wheels... Every year new wood comes from the forests of Daspalla, Nayagarh."
He said that after the yatra, the wood from the chariot is used as firewood to prepare the Prasad every day at the Jagannath Temple. "Forty-two wheels of the three chariots are sold to the devotees... The construction work continues from Akshay Tritya to Rath Yatra for two months... There are seven types of workers and at least 200 people are needed... All It is made by hand in a traditional way, no modern tools or machinery are used... Measurements are also made in the ancient system, not the modern metric system..."
The Ratha Jatra or the Chariot Festival is believed to be as old as the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
The festival encompasses the journey of the Holy Trinity to the temple of her maternal aunt, goddess Gundicha Devi, and culminates with the return journey after eight days. The festival actually extends from the day of AkhayaTrutiya (in April) and culminates with the return journey of the Holy Trinity to the Shree Mandir premises.
Apart from numerous Indian cities, the festival is celebrated with great fanfare from New Zealand to South Africa and from New York to London.
This year the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra is scheduled for July 7.
Three new Raths are built every year before the festival begins and are designed in a specific way. They are made of wood and decorated by local artists.
Bal Krishna Moharana, part of the team working on building the chariots for Rath Yatra, said, "Three chariots have been prepared for Prabhuji Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra Maa Subhadra. Jagannath Ji's chariot has 16 wheels, Balabhadra's chariot Mahaprabhu has 14 wheels. And Maa Subhadra's chariot has 12 wheels... Every year new wood comes from the forests of Daspalla, Nayagarh."
He said that after the yatra, the wood from the chariot is used as firewood to prepare the Prasad every day at the Jagannath Temple. "Forty-two wheels of the three chariots are sold to the devotees... The construction work continues from Akshay Tritya to Rath Yatra for two months... There are seven types of workers and at least 200 people are needed... All It is made by hand in a traditional way, no modern tools or machinery are used... Measurements are also made in the ancient system, not the modern metric system..."
The Ratha Jatra or the Chariot Festival is believed to be as old as the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
The festival encompasses the journey of the Holy Trinity to the temple of her maternal aunt, goddess Gundicha Devi, and culminates with the return journey after eight days. The festival actually extends from the day of AkhayaTrutiya (in April) and culminates with the return journey of the Holy Trinity to the Shree Mandir premises.
Apart from numerous Indian cities, the festival is celebrated with great fanfare from New Zealand to South Africa and from New York to London.
