Rath Yatra Festival
(June 20, 2021)

Rathotsav or Rath Yatra Festival is celebrated all over India on the second date in Ashadh Shukla Paksha. In this festival, Lord Vishnu or his incarnation Shri Krishna/Shri Ram etc. are taken for a tour of the city by sitting on a chariot with devotion. Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in the city of Puri in Odisha is world famous. In this Rath Yatra, apart from Lord Jagannath, the chariots of elder brother Balarama and sister Subhadra are also taken out. The Rath Yatra starts from Jagannath Temple and reaches Gundicha Temple. This tradition of Rath Yatra has been going on since the reign of King Indradyumna. The Rathotsav of Puri is celebrated for 10 days. From Dwitiya to Navami, Lord Gundicha rests in the temple itself. It should be known that Vishwakarma ji had built the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadraji at Gundicha place itself. That is why Gundicha place is considered to be the birth place of Lord and Lord visits his birthplace once in a year on his own wish. On the day of Ashada Shukla Dashami, Lord travels from Gundicha temple to his present temple by chariot only.
It is believed that all the pilgrims are present there during the Lord's stay in Gundicha Dham. If a person stays there and takes bath during this time and worships after seeing God, then he gets the benefits of all pilgrimages. He gets Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, the four Purusharths.