Different rituals are performed on the day of Rath Yatra. The devotees perform these rituals with different
The Rath yatra festival is celebrated mainly in Puri besides many other parts of the country as well as the world. This festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, who is believed to be the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. The occasion commemorates the Lord’s annual visit to Puri, his birthplace along with his sister, Subhadra and brother, Balabhadra. Like the other devotees, if you want to be a part of the festival and the ritual, you can buy the pooja saman online now for performing the poojas and the rituals.
The Making of the New Idols Every Year:-
New idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother, and sister are made every year from neem wood. But, woods of all neem trees are not suitable for crafting these idols. According to the Vedas and scriptures, neem trees with certain qualities like location, color, and a specific number of the branches are considered for making the holy idols.
How is Rath Yatra Celebrated?
Every year, the festival begins with the making of the idols. The three idols are taken out from their abode on this auspicious day. Jagannath along with his sister and brother travel from the Jagannath temple to the Gundicha Temple. The three Lords stay there for seven days and then return to Mausi Maa Temple, which is the home of the aunt of Lord Jagannath.
All the three idols are made to travel on towering chariots. These chariots are made for reassembling the temples, thus giving this festival the name ‘Rath Yatra’ or the chariot festival. Millions of pilgrims and devotees flock to this festival from different parts of the world to be a part of the rituals. There are many devotees who now buy pooja samagri online and perform the rituals at home only if they cannot visit Puri.
What are the Rituals Performed on Rath Yatra?
The destruction of the previous year’s idols and the making of the new ones represents the reincarnation of the Lord.
Prayers and devotional songs from the Vedas are continuously chanted during the making of the idols. Once the work is done, the idols are placed inside the interior sanctum of Jagannath temple. Brahma, the supreme power is believed to get transferred from the old to these new idols on completion of idol making. This is known as the Brahma Paribartan. This ritual of the festival is carried out privately. The pandas or the pandits perform this ritual with closed eyes covered with thick layers of cloth so that the transfer is not visible to them.
On completion of this ritual, the idols are placed on their specific thrones. After this, the temple rituals begin. Flowers and prasadam are offered to the Lords. The devotees now buy the online pooja items to offer the deities. Pujas are performed with different items to seek the blessings of Jagannath.
Every year, it is seen that three huge sized chariots are constructed. The three deities are seated one on each of these towering chariots. The journey of the three deities begins on these chariots. This is a public ritual and is viewed by millions of pilgrims from different parts of the world. According to the custom, the construction of the chariots commences on Akshaya Tritiya every year.
As per the traditions, the idols of the three deities are given a ceremonial bath eighteen days before the festival begins. One hundred and eight pitchers of water are used in this ritual. This ritual of the festival is called Snana Yatra. It is carried out the full moon day of Jyeshtha month, known as the Jyeshtha Purnima.
Rath Yatra is a public or community festival. The devotees buy and offer garlands to decorate the idols. People buy samagris from the pooja stores and offer the Lords to stay blessed by being a part of the festival and all the rituals.