What is the Rath Yātrā of Purī, and why does Lord Jagannātha come out of the temple?

on Āṣāḍha Śukla Dvitīyā, Jagannātha, Balabhadra and Subhadrā ride three chariots to the Guṇḍicā temple so that everyone can see them.

In Odisha’s Purī, the deities Jagannātha, his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadrā leave the great temple once a year on three huge wooden chariots, Nandighoṣa, Tāladhvaja and Darpadalana, built new every year. Devotees pull them by ropes to the Guṇḍicā temple, believed to be their aunt’s home, where they stay about a week before the return journey, the Bāhuḍā Yātrā.

Before the chariots move, the Gajapati king of Purī sweeps the chariot platforms with a golden broom, the chhera pahanra, showing that before God even a king is a servant. The festival is loved because the Lord comes out to meet everyone on the street, regardless of who they are.

In Odia homes the season brings special bhoga and songs, and Rath Yātrās are now held in cities around the world.

Chariots: Nandighoṣa, Tāladhvaja, Darpadalana · Source: Purī temple tradition

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