(July 01, 2022)
Rathotsav or Rath Yatra Festival is celebrated all over India on the second date containing Pushyakshatra in the Ashadh Shukla Paksha. In this festival, Lord Vishnu or his incarnation Shri Krishna/Shri Ram etc. is reverently seated on the Chariot and toured in the city. The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in a city named Puri in Odisha is World Famous. Apart from Lord Jagannath, the Chariots of elder brother Balarama and sister Subhadra are also taken out in this Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra starts from Jagannath Temple and reaches Gundicha Temple.
This tradition of Rath Yatra is going on since the reign of King Indradyum. The Rathotsava of Puri is celebrated for 10 days. From Dwitiya to Navami, Lord Gundicha rests in the temple itself. It should be noted that Vishwakarma had built the Deities of Lord Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadraji at Gundicha place itself. That is why the Gundicha place is considered as the birth place of the Lord and the Lord visits His birth place once in a year on his own will. On the day of Ashadha Shukla Dashami, the Lord travels from Gundicha temple to his present temple by chariot.
It is believed that all the pilgrimages are present there during the abode of the Lord at Gundicha Dham. If a person stays there during this time, takes bath and worships the Lord, then he gets the benefits of all the pilgrimages. He attains the four Purusharthas of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.