RATH YATRA

Whenever you hear about the holy 'Rath Yatra', the very first place that would come in your mind is Puri, Odisha.

One of three Rath

Fortunately, being a resident of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, I got a chance to explore this dynamic festival celebrated in the Puri in the name of Lord Jagannath.

The Rath Yatra is a world famous festival which attracts more that one million pilgrims each year. These pilgrims are not only from India, but also from the neighboring countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc. This festival is a symbol of equality and integrity.

The 3 deities, Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra are worshipped within the temple, on this festival they are taken to the streets of Puri so that everyone can have the fortune to see them. The 3 deities make an annual journey to their aunt's temple (Gundicha Temple), 2 km away from Lord Jagannath temple.

MY EXPERIENCE :

I was accompanied by my parents and my younger brother. So it was a little family trip to our first ever Rath Yatra experience.

My parents and a cute human.

As usual, the area near the temple was heavily crowded, with humans and humans everywhere. There was literally not a single vacant place left to even keep my feet in the right place.

The crowd.

 The experience was tragic and magical at the same time. Seeing so many people gathered at a single place is horrifying and motivational too. Seeing the dedication of so many people towards Lord Jagannath, automatically gives you a boost to reach at your destination and have a proper darshan.

The Target :

Everyone there just want to do a single job, and that was to pull the Rath on their own. The main reason for the Raths being outside is that they will be pulled by the pilgrims up to the next location which is the Gundicha Mandir. 

We were too involved in the same business. We too wanted to pull the Raths on our own. So we moved ahead in the journey and finally we were successfully able to pull the massive chariot on our own.

This was the blur image I could take while I was holding the ropes to pull the chariot.

The System :

If we talk about the system and the security which was being provided by the Government, then I would say it was exceptionally good. 

 I was successful at taking a sefie with this security personnel. Actually I am glad that he allowed me to do so against the instruction which was given to him. 

Full time ambulance services, fire brigade services and army personnel were always ready for emergencies. Anyone fainted ? The Government have got your back.

I don't know what exactly the machine in the above image is called but I do have seen it functioning. The big mouth like thing that you see which is held by a man standing by taking the support of a water tank, blows the water through it. It blows water at an exceptional rate through the tank placed behind the man. It was actually there to provide the relief to the pilgrims who have struggled hard in the breathless crowd.

If you're a girl then you have to be very careful about the mob trying to take the maximum advantage of yours. You have to protect yourself in the best possible ways. 

You have to take care of your belongings on your own. No body will be responsible if anything get stolen or dropped off by you.

After having the fight done for the darshan, we were about to exit.

This was me after the successful darshan. You can visit the entire thing of  Rath Yatra within the span of 6 hours from Bhubaneswar. I remember we left our home at 2 pm and by 8 pm we were back at our home.

If you want to stay for a longer time in Puri and explore the magnificent Golden Beach, you're always welcome by the city. There are some very good hotels and resorts near the beach which would help you to get a great accommodation at a reasonable price.