Jagannath Yatra 2023: What You Need To Know About Three Chariots

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Jagannatha Rath yatra is the collected effort of a thousand hands of skilled workers, architects and engineers.

The Rathyathra arrangement is complicated and requires all the traditional regulations to be followed without fail, while preparing the Rathas and creating the Deities to be placed inside the Rathas.

Let us take a look at the Rath aspect of the entire yatra festival in detail. During the Ratha Yatra, the three deities are carried out in processions from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple, and ride back to Shri mandir in Bahuda jatra after completing 9 days in Gundicha temple.

On the return journey, the chariots stop at the Mausi Maa temple, where the gods are served Poda pitha sweet.

The chhera pahara is the most important ceremony where in the Gajapati King, sweeps the area around the deities and chariots using sandalwood water and powder and gold handled brooms.

The Ratha Yatra of Jagannath has been observed since the time of the Puranas. You can find a mention of this in the puranas.

Every year a new chariot is built for Jagannath, and his siblings Balarama and Subhadra. More than 100 carpenters, within the span of two months, construct the three chariots using over 1,000 logs brought from the Dasapalla and Ranpur forests.

2000 meters of cloth are used to drape the chariot every year. Coconut ropes, about 8 inches in diameter are used to pull the chariots.

For fixing the fixtures like nails etc, it takes a month for the carpenters, The rath part which is above the wheels has eighteen pillars and roofs.

Each chariot is accompanied by nine parswadevatas, two dwarapalaks, one charioteer or sarathi, and one dhwaja devata, or the deity for the flag, which are all made of wood.

But each rath is not typically identical and has different characteristics.

Names of 3 Chariots (raths) of Jagannath Rath Yatra
Nandighosha, Garudadhwaja and kapidhwaja are the names given to the chariot of Lord Jagannath.

The Jagannath rath has a yellow and red colour canopy and this is the biggest of the three chariots.The chariot is yoked to 4 white horses.

Chariot is as tall as 45 feet and has 16 wheels. It displays sudarshan chakra as well. Chariot has a deity and that is Garuda and charioteer is named as Daruka.

The flag is called Trailokya mohini. The rope used to pull the chariot is called Shankhachuda. The other deities in the chariot are Varaha, Govardhana, Krushna, Nrusimha, Rama, Narayana, Trivikrama, Hanuman, and Rudra.

The chariot face is called Nandi Mukha and the weapons for the chariot are Sankha & Chakra.

Lord Balaramas chariot is known as Taladhwaja. This chariot has a green and red canopy and is the second largest in the team of chariots.

It is led by 4 black horses. It is as tall as 44 feet and has14 wheels. Chariot deity is Vasudev and the charioteer is Matali. Dwarpalaks are named as Nanda and Sunanda.

The rope to pull this chariot is called Basuki. The chariot also has Ganesha, Kartikeya, Sarvamangala, Pralambari, Halayudha, Mrutyunjaya, Natamvara, Mukteshwar & Sheshadeva idols alongside.

Ketu Bhadra is the name given to the face of the chariot and the weapons of this chariot are known as Hala and Musala.

The chariot of Goddess Subhadra is known as Devadalana, Darpadalana and Padmadhwaja. The chariot has a black and red color canopy and is the smallest of all.

It is yoked by four red horses and is 43 feet with 12 wheels. Chariot diety is Jayadurga and the charioteer is Arjuna.

The flag is known as Nadambika, Rope to pull the chariot is called Swarnachooda.The chariot also has Chandi, Chamunda, Ugratara, Vanadurga, Shulidurga, Varahi, Shyama Kali, Mangala, and Bimala as accompanying Goddesses.

The chariot face is called Bhakti Sumedha and the weapons are Padma and kalhar.

The Ratha yatra has a rich history and has been observed from centuries, from the times of puranas. Even during the Mughal periods, King Ramsingh of Rajastan organized the yatra around the 18th century.

Kings of Mayurbhanj and Parlakhemundi in Odisha used to organize the rath yatra so far but Puri Jagannath Ratha Yatra is the biggest and brightest when compared to all those yatras. It is second to none, when it comes to the celebrations and devotee participation.