Rath-Yatra of Lord Jaggan-Nathji
At the height of Indian summer, the Lord of Puri goes to his garden palace for the
annual summer vacation. He travels in some style from his temple in Puri, to his garden
temple, located outside the town. Thousands of Hindus flock to see, and to pull the grand
chariots from one temple to the other. The English word "Jagannaut" comes from
the giant chariots of Lord Jagannath of Puri. The British were so stunned by the size of
the chariots, they coined a word for it!
In Puri, Lord Jagannath is worshipped with his elder brother Bala-Rama and his sister
Subhadra. Each sibling has his / her own chariot and goes to the summer residence with
great pomp. Each of the chariots is covered in distinctly coloured cloth. Various symbols
and signs help pilgrims distinguish between the three gods. As a mark of respect, and
humbleness, the king of Puri sweeps the chariots of the gods of Puri. Festival begins with
a huge fanfare of conches, trumpets, drums and cymbals. Accompanied by music and dancers,
the divine travellers begin their journey to the garden temple.
In order to accommodate the three chariots, the street leading from the main temple to
the garden temple is very wide. Temples, ashrams, hotels, inns, shops and mansions of the
old aristocracy line the route. All buildings are colourfully decorated with flags,
buntings and awnings of bright colours. Ladies in colourful saries crowd the balconies,
doors and windows decked with flowers. Men and women rush to pull the chariots along this
main street of Puri. This is an exciting time in Puri. The Lord who is rarely glimpsed
outside his inner sanctum, is now easily accessible to everyone in the streets of Puri !
Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, away from the innumerable temple
servants, away from their spouses, the siblings enjoy their garden retreat. The temple
routine in the garden temple is very much relaxed compared to the main temple. Various
festivities and fun are planned for their short stay in this leafy abode. ( Depending on
the lunar cycle, this festival can last anywhere from 1 - 2 weeks. )
As the Lord has only taken his brother and his sister on this holiday, the wives are
left at home! Alone and brooding, Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth), seeks help from
Goddess Vimala to get their husband back. Travelling by night, in a closed palanquin, she
arrives at the garden temple of the Lord. She enchants the Lord and entreats him to
return.
A few days later, Lord returns to his city temple. Though delighted, goddess Lakshmi
orders the temple doors to be shut in His face - in the vain hope of teaching Him a
lesson! In the conversation that follows, female attendants (dev-dasi) of the Goddess
blame the Lord of being inconsiderate, "Jack the Lad", taking His wife for
granted and being far too easily led by the in-laws (sounds familiar?).
The Lord's servants explain that He really had no choice, He went against His will, He
still loves Her deeply and respects Her enormously!! Eventually, the Lord offers the
female gate-keepers bribes and enters the inner sanctum to pacify the Goddess Lakshmi.
Such are the dramas of a married man's life! The next day, Lord and the Goddess once again
appear in the public, reconciled and as loving as ever. Lord's summer vacation is over,
and life in the great temple returns to its age old routine.
(To know more about Jagannath-Puri as
a holiday destination, please click here.)
© Bhagwat Shah
Further resources :-
To find out more about Puri and it's numerous festivals, please follow
this link to Randy Leighton's
page. This is an excellent source of information about the (Vaishnav) temple traditions at
Puri.
To read more about the how the Dev-Dasies are/ were involved in
the temple rituals at Jaggan-Nath Puri, please read " Wives of God King ".
Excellent resource material for all things "Puri".
Return to the Festival Index.
