The most revered and colorful chariot festival takes place annually in Ashadha (June - July) at the world famous Puri Jagannath temple (12th-century stone temple ) of Puri, a coastal town in Odisha. This temple is a sacred one as it is one of the four dham in Hinduism drawing a large number of devotees per day- roughly more than35000 to 40000. This year the mind-boggling rath yatra at Puri took place on the 27th of June, 2025 with great fanfare and religious fervor.
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| Puri Jagannath rath yatra .ndtv.com |
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| Three ratha yatra to Gundicha temple .etvbharat.com |
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| Puri Jagannath rath yatra, Odisha indiatimes.com |
Each year for this annual rath yatra the chariots are made afresh by traditional carpenters with no formal training, but they rely only on the traditional knowledge and skill to make the three giant chariots, according to the caretaker of the chariots.t
In the Hindu month of Ashadha the Puri Rath Yatra begins on the Dwitiya Tithi (second day) Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of the Moon). According to Gregorian calendar, it falls in the month of June or July.
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| Purri temple,three deities .ndtv.com |
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| Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra, ndiatimes.com |
Despite intense heat and humidity, driven by bhakti and devotion lakhs of people descended on the Grand Road to witness this spectacular event on the 27th June. The richly decorated chariots carrying deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and goddess Devi Subhadra are taken to Gundicha Temple, their birth place and aunt home approximately 2.5 km away from the main temple; Gundicha is an alternate temporary abode during the festivities.
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| Puri Rath Yatra ndiatimes.com/ |
Before the start of the rath yatra, as part of of long held tradition, Singha Deb, the titular ruler of Puri Gajapati Maharaja ritualistically swept the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his two siblings. It is a centuries old ritualistic tradition symbolic of equality of all before the almighty. Before each chariot the servitor- ruler reverentially swept the floor using a broom with a golden handle, while priests sprinkled flowers and fragrant water. He first offered prayers to Lord Balabhadra's chariot 'Taladhwaj', then Lord Jagannath's 'Nadighosh' and finally Devi Subhadra's 'Darpadalan'
Nearly 45 foot tall wooden chariots of Lords Jagannath and Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra were pulled all along the Grand Road by men witnessed by lakhs of devotees. 'Pahandi,' ratha pratistha,' etc., rituals associated with Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra are conducted by priests and devotees. After 9 day sojourn the return yatra (Bahuda yatra) will be on 5th July after Hera Panchami on July 1.
For the ardent devotees nothing is more captivating than watching the deities emerging from the main temple for their brief sojourn at Gundicha in the midst of euphoric chants of the lord of the universe 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Ho Bhakate' echo through the air The festive mood reaches crescendo when the divinity is on the move in the midst of a sea of devotees. For the police it is a tough job to handle a massive surge of people that may trigger stampedes (due to jostling) which did happen in the past despite tight police security.
This year more than 500 devotees were injured after crowd surge while pulling the Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra. There was a brief delay in maneuvering the wheels and the restless pilgrims rushed to participate in the ceremonial chariot procession. Consequently this resulted in chaos when devotees surged forward to grab the ropes of the Taladhwaja chariot. The sudden overcrowding at one place led to a stampede-like situation, resulting in injuries to hundreds.
This minor incident occurred despite deployment of tight security cover with the presence of nearly 10,000 personnel across Puri, including eight companies from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The jostling and over crowding besides sheer number of devotees made it challenging for the security personnel.
It is during this time of the year only when when lord of the universe Lord Jgannath and his siblings come out of their permanent abode to meet the devotees to shower blessings. Hence lakhs of devotees congregate in Puri to witness this rare event.
https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/rath-yatra-2025-massive-crowd-surge-injures-over-500-devotees-in-odishas-puri/3895523/
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/live-blog--puri-jagannath-rath-yatra-2025-live-chariot-festival-begins-holy-trinity-journey-from-srimandir-to-gundicha-enn25062700507
