For so long, Jagannath Rath Yatra or the most famous Jagannath car festival of Puri in Orissa has been one of the biggest festivals in India. This is a spectacular and highly significant event carrying a lot of cultural, religious and social significance. Multitudes of people throng at the city of Puri to view the grandest chariot procession in the country. The several legends associated with the Rath Yatra of Puri capture the imaginations of the humans around the globe. Here are some highly interesting facts about the Jagannath Rath Yatra. Jagannath Rath Yatra interesting facts <ul><li>As practiced in a few other orthodox Hindu temples, none other than Hindus will be allowed to enter the gates of the Jagannath temple in Puri to view the deities and offer worship. However, the entry is open to anyone irrespective of caste and religion during the Jagannath Rath Yatra. During this festival time, all people can worship the Lord and receive his blessings. </li><li>The Rath yatra sees the procession of three independent chariots for the three deities of Jagannath, Balarama and Shubadra. Hence this event is also called the festival of chariots. The names of these three chariots are Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Devadalana. </li><li>Nandigosha is the chariot of Jagannath that is set on 18 wheels. Taladwaja, the chariot of Balarama runs on 16 wheels and 14 wheels roll the chariot Padmadhwaja in which Shubadra parades. </li><li>The most astonishing facts about the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra is that all the three chariots are constructed anew year after year prior to the festival. The construction makes use of newer materials as the years go by. However, the structure, model, design and measurements of the chariot remain the same. In front of each chariot, four wooden horses are fixed. </li><li>The chariot tops replicate the structure of the temple towers built in the North Indian style. Hundreds of pilgrims and devotees pull the massive sized chariots with sturdy ropes. This creates an awe inspiring sight for the onlookers. For making the canopies of the chariots, about 1200 meters of cloth is used. A team of 15 skilled tailors make the canopies. </li><li>As per the traditional belief, the king of Puri sweeps the floor with a broom stick before the chariots move forward thus providing a royal procession to the Lord with his accomplices. </li><li>When the festival begins, Lord Jagannath seems to refuse moving out. Despite the efforts of the crowds, the chariot cannot be moved even an inch forward. After a few hours of mammoth efforts, finally the chariot moves forward to trigger the procession’s onward march. </li><li>There is an interesting story behind the chariot festival. It is said Lord Jagannath catches high fever year on year prior to the Rath yatra. Hence he is given rest for a period of one week before the chariot festival. The temple doors remain shut for the public and none is allowed to disturb the resting Lord during this period. The chariot procession comes as a change for the Lord to visit his maternal aunt’s house after he recovers from his fever. </li></ul>

8 Interesting facts about Jagannath Rath Yatra

Kolkata, Jun 23 () The annual Rath Yatra was a low-key affair in West Bengal due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with just a handful of devotees visiting the ISKCON temples in Kolkata and Mayapur, and some offering prayers at the Lord Jagannath shrine in Hooghly district. No chariot was taken out in any part of the state to avoid public gatherings, but priests and devotees performed the rituals, while maintaining social distancing norms, official sources said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her greetings to the people on the occasion. "Greetings to all my brothers and sisters on the occasion of the #RathYatra Festival. May the blessings of Lord Jagannath be showered on all, specially during this disturbing time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jai Jagannath," Banerjee posted on her Twitter handle. The nine-day festival is usually marked by a procession of chariots, in which the three deities -- Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra -- embark on an annual journey to Gundicha temple and back. At the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in Kolkata, all rituals were performed on the temple premises, its spokesperson Radharaman Das told . "Three small chariots, similar to the ones pulled by children, were taken out briefly on the temple compound by the monks, as a symbolic gesture. Every year, idols of the three deities are taken to Maidan area in chariots. This year, all rituals will be performed in the temple," Das said. Last year, around 4 lakh people had gathered to pull the chariots on city streets, he said. "We are praying to Lord Jagannath for strength to fight the crisis. People should be able to turn up in large numbers next year on this day," he said. At the ISKCON Mayapur centre, which also happens to be the global headquarters of the religious order, only a restricted number of followers, along with servitors and monks, were allowed inside the Chandradaya temple. A makeshift 'Gundicha' temple has been constructed on the premises, where idols of the three deities will be kept for eight days. Devotees will be given permission to offer prayers, only after screening and proper sanitisation, ISKCON Mayapur spokesman Subrata Das said. "As part of our 'Mercy on Wheels' initiative, people can watch the observance of rituals online by logging on to our website," the spokesperson said. The chariot festival, which is marked by traditional feasts and commemoration in Mahesh, in Hooghly district -- home to the 624-year-old Jagannath temple -- was also observed without any pomp and show. "Three shaligram shila (seashell stones representing the deities inside the temple) were taken along the usual rath yatra route to a distance of one kilometre and kept there. The chariot at the shrine will be illuminated for the next eight days," Piyal Adhikary, the working secretary and managing 'sevayat' of the temple committee in Mahesh, said. The centuries-old Tarapith Temple, one of the shakti peeths, in Birbhum district reopened its doors to devotees on the occasion, having taken care of all safety protocols. "Not more than 10 devotees will be allowed inside the temple at a time. Each of them will have to pass through three sanitation tunnels," a temple spokesperson said. SUS RMS TIR TIR

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8 Interesting facts about Jagannath Rath Yatra

BI India Bureau

COVID-19 eclipses Rath Yatra celebrations in W Bengal, no fanfare, no chariot on city streets

PTI