Orissa Review * July - 2006

Rathayatra of

Swarnaprava Panda

India is a land of temples and festivals. With dream, the King sent messengers to all the several cultures, castes, creed and religion nooks and corners of his kingdom. Finally his every part of India has some significance and young charishmatic Minister Vidyapati, got the is famous in its own way. The most attracting location. This blue coloured idol of Lord feature of Orissa is its vast coast line and the Nilamadhav was already under the possession temple of Lord Jagannatha in Puri. Lord of a tribal king and they were worshiping the Jagannatha is the heart of Orissan culture and God only by offering fruits and vegetables of people of Puri are engaged throughout the year the forests. But to bring the idols of the God celebrating several festivals of Lord from the tribal king was not that easy for Jagannatha. But amongst all these festivals one Vidyapati. He tried his level best to win his of the most spectacular festivals takes place at trust and afterwards got married to the tribal Puri is the Rathayatra. Princess Lalitha. With the help of Lalitha and The world famous Rathayatra of Lord by his intelligent approach, he manages to see Jagannatha takes place in 'ashdha sukla dwitiya' the deity. But when he came back with force i.e the second day of the fortnight of ashadha to take the idols of the God he found the idols (June-July) every year. As the name justifies had already disappeared .Afterwards again the the deities Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra queen dreamt of a big log floating in the sea and Devi adorning three chariots shore with a lotus, a wheel and a crunch namely Nandighosha, Taladhwaja, engraved on it and also got the instructions to Darpadalana respectively make a nine-day trip locate that log. In the meantime the King who to Gundicha Mandir from Srimandir. There is had already made a huge temple, called upon a beautiful folktale behind this festival. many carpenters to make the idols. But none "Once upon a time there was a king, of them even made scratch on that log. One called and his queen Rani day a very old man came and promised the Gundicha ruled over Orissa. One night Rani king to make the idols single handedly, but with Gundicha, in her dreams, saw Lord Nila- a condition. The condition was no body will Madhava saying her to build a temple for him disturb him for 22 days and he would make as he no more wants to stay in the woods in the idols in a closed room. After ten days, the the caves of Nilagiri hills. Relying on her queen was impatient. She tried to hear if

25 Orissa Review * July - 2006 anything was going on inside the closed room. After bathing the Deities are put on Elephant The old man did not eat for ten days and there masks, which are called as Ganesh Vesha. Then was no sound coming from within. She the Deities are offered Bhog (Cooked Food) repeatedly coaxed the king to open the door, and Arathi. The Deities are then taken back to the king ultimately yielded. When they entered, the temple in a procession and stay in retirement the craftsman had already disappeared and the for fifteen days. The deities are placed in the images were incomplete. The king was puzzled passage between the inner and outer shrine in if the unfinished images should be enshrined. a semi-horizontal position. Here in this Finally he did install the incomplete images." ceremony the general public can see the food Offerings to the Deities, which is not possible This was the story of establishment of any time in the year. Anavasara Festival after Purl Jagannatha temple. Lord Jagannatha was Snana Yatra Lord becomes sick and very happy with the King and asked the king suffers from fever. He is therefore moved to to give a favour as a Baradan. The king asked his private stay, there He is offered drugs which the God to make him childless to stop the are prepared by the fruit juice. Navayauvana family rule and wanted no body in his family Festival is held for the purpose of renovation to feel proud about his achievements and thinks of the Lord Jagannath's body. After being the Puri temple as their family property. washed the body of Lord Jagannath needs Looking at the King's honesty and soberness repainting, which takes two weeks to complete. Lord Jagannatha promised the king that every Then the Lord Jagannath is fully restored to year he will be the guest of Rani Gundicha youth (Nava Yauvana). Netrotsava ceremony and stay in her place for nine days and in these is performed in the inner shrine where the nine days the "daitapati", children of Deities are placed in semi-horizontal position. Vidyapathy and Lalitha will take charge of They have been fully painted, except their eyes. Lord Jagannatha. Even today this practice is In this ceremony the eyes of the Deities are followed in Puri. This symbolises a happy painted by their respected Pujaries and the Puja blending of tribal people with the Brahmins, (worship) is started in the temple. After which is a rare thing to be seen in main stream completing the above said ceremonies the worshipping method in Indian culture. Deities are taken out from the temple and The preparations for this chariot festival placed in their respective chariots on the starts actually two months before from the day Rathayatra day. The procession of the Deities of Akshaya Tritiya. About one month after from the temple to the chariot is the most Akshaya Tritiya the Snanayatra takes place. colorful aspect of the Rathayatra. The Chariots Snanayatra ceremony is held on are brought and kept in front of the Sinha "Jyesthapurnima", when the main deities along Dwara, facing north side before Rathayatra the Sudarsana are brought to the begins. In a traditional ceremonial manner first Snanamandapa (a platform for bathing, Snana Sudarshana is brought from the temple and means bathing) and are bathed around mid-day. placed on the Chariot of Lady Subhadra, One hundred and eight pots of water is poured followed by Balabhadra first as the elder in on the Deities. The water is brought from a the family placed in his chariot, then followed sacred well which is dear to the Goddess Sitala. by godess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. As

26 Orissa Review * July - 2006 the deities are very heavy it takes a lot of time twelve wheels. The fabric of roof is in Red to bring them on to the chariots. This ceremony and Black colour. Now-a-days live coverage is called as 'Pahandi bije'. After pahandi the of the whole thing is coming on the national Oriya king Gajapati comes to sweep the channel, but the feeling one could get there is chariots which is called as "Chhera panhara". really wonderful. When this huge chariot For every occasion there is a folk story and passes very close, you feel as if with the chariot each story has got beautiful tinge of devotion, your whole body, mind and heart going out loyalty and selflessness. Every folk tale is so with the chariots. well tailored that seems as if lord Jagannath is After this the deities stay in the Gundicha always there to help people in several ways, temple for nine days and returns back to but one has to keep faith on the Almighty. One Srimandir adorning the same chariots. In notable thing in Puri is every people has got a between thousands of rituals take place, lakhs strong sense of devotion in his mind that his of people keep pouring in to Puri every day. life is not his own, his life is controlled by As there is no barrier for any caste creed or Jagannath. nationality, to be close to the deities, most People usually spent the whole day in foreigners usually come to see this festival. All the Badadanda, the grand road where this event the leading companies usually open their stalls takes place and the most beautiful thing is you in the of two sides the grand road. Artisans don't feel bored of even after spending the and craftsmen from nooks and corners of whole day under the scorching sun and very Orissa come here to display their craft which humid atmosphere, this is the charisma of include the hand woven silk sarees, dress Rathayatra that you forget yourself. You are material, applique work, (painting bound to think that how vast this world is and on tussar canvass), horn carvings, filigree work how tiny you are. What all the yogis and and so on. Apart from all these, there is a sanyasis taken together could not teach you, beautiful beach in Puri which can easily figure you could learn within no time. As the residents in World map amongst one of the beautiful of Puri we usually come to see when the beaches. To attract people many sand artists chariots start moving. Thousands of people make sand figurines in the golden sands of the draw the chariots from Srimandira to Gundicha beach. This is a time whole Puri is decorated temple which is about 2½ to 3 kilometers to welcome the tourists. distance. One striking feature of the Rathayatra Other than this spectacular festival Puri is the huge wooden chariots. Nandighosh has got a treasure of beautiful places better Chariot is of Lord Jagarnnath, it is 45ft known as the Golden triangle of East i.e Puri, (13.71mts) high and having sixteen wheels. Bhubaneswar (Temple city of Orissa) and The fabric of the roof is in Red and Yellow Konark (World Famous Sun Temple). All these colour. Taladhvaja chariot belongs to 3 places are within an hour's drive from each Balabhadra. The height of this chariot is 44ft other. (13.2mts) and consists of fourteen wheels. The fabric colour of the roof is Red and Green. Darpadalana is Godesss Subhadra's chariot. It Swarnaprava Panda, C/o- Tapan Kumar Panda lives at is 43ft. (12.9mts) in height and consist of Banikantha Nagar, Athagarh Town, Cuttack.

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