Devotees Gather In Puri To Witness Jagannath Rath Yatra
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Devotees Gather In Puri To Witness Jagannath Rath Yatra
The Jagannath Rath Yatra, also called the Chariot Festival or Shree Gundicha Yatra is a significant event for Hindus. Devotees from across India and around the world are arriving in Puri to take part in the Yatra and seek blessings. The Yatra began on June 27 and is scheduled to conclude on July 1. The deities will rest for nine days before returning to the Jagannatha Temple. The chariots of the deities are being pulled towards the GundichA Temple, where they will spend nine days resting and recuperating from the ordeal of the Rath yatra. The festival is also known as the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Yatra or the Swami Shri Sukh Darshan Yatra.
A devotee from West Africa who came to Puri for the first time said, “This is my very first opportunity to witness the Rath Yatra in Puri. Yesterday, we only got the opportunity to have darshan of Lord Jagannath. But today, hopefully Jagannath will be kind, we will be able to pull his chariot as today is the second day.” She added that she was grateful for the opportunity to experience the celebration.
Gaurangi Devika Das, a foreign devotee living in India for the past 20 years, expressed her joy, saying, “Yesterday was the first day of the Rath Yatra festival. Lakhs of people are coming. By the mercy of Lord Jagannath, I got to take his darshan. Today, I hope I will have the grace to pull Jagannath to Gundicha. This is a very special festival because Lord Jagannath comes out of the temple to see all his devotees and give his mercy.”
Parna, a devotee from Kolkata, shared her experience: “I wanted to participate in the Rath Yatra for a long time and witness Lord Jagannath. I did get to see him yesterday, but today was magical. I worshipped him for a good 10 to 15 minutes without any rush, and that makes me really happy.”
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who participated in the Yatra, said, “I have had the good fortune of witnessing the Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannath in Puri. I want to say that may Mahaprabhu Jagannath maintain peace in the world and maintain an atmosphere of peace and happiness in all families.”
Swami Shri Sukh Darshan Das from Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Vadtal, also joined the celebrations. He said, “We are from Gujarat. Today is a big celebration of the Rath Yatra. God has come to give darshan to everyone. So we also had darshan this morning. Rath Yatra is so important that whichever devotee has darshan of the Lord in this Rath Yatra, the Lord will fulfil all their wishes. This is the best moment of my life. Lord Jagannath is the Lord of the whole universe.”
Shri Jagannath Temple Administration Chief Administrator Arabinda K Padhee informed on Friday, “On 28th June, the chariot pulling will begin at 9.30 am. So it is all Mahaprabhu’s desire.”
The Jagannath Rath Yatra, also called the Chariot Festival or Shree Gundicha Yatra, is a significant event for Hindus. The Yatra began on June 27 and is scheduled to conclude on July 1, with Lord Jagannath returning to the Jagannath temple.
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Why devotees skip the third step while entering Jagannath Temple? Find out
The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath that starts on 27th June, the event takes place annually but is arranged according to the Hindu calendar. The Yatra is held during the Ashadh Shukla Paksha in the Asadh month every year. It is one of the biggest religious rallies that happens in Odisha every year as tens of thousands of devotees gather in Puri to witness the Yatra. It marks the grand procession of the three divine siblings, Lord JagANNath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra.
Puri
Thursday, June 27th marks the start of the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Odisha’s Puri. It is one of the biggest religious rallies that happens in Odisha every year as tens of thousands of devotees gather in Puri to witness the Yatra. The Yatra marks the grand procession of the three divine siblings, Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra.
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is one of the most revered temples in India. It is one of the oldest temples holding several mystical traditions and ancient secrets inside its sacred precincts. One of the most intriguing and talked about features of the temple is the third step of the temple’s entrance known by many as ‘Yamashila’ or ‘Yama’s stone.
When a worshiper enters the Jagannath Temple they ascend 22 stairs which are each revered and sacred. Although all the stairs are sacred, the third step from the bottom has a special significance in the temple’s legend. It is known as Yamshila and according to religious beliefs it is said that the Hindu God of Death, Yamraj resides there, hence the name ‘Yamashila’.
It is believed that the God of Death, Yamraj once visited Lord Jagannath to seek help as he was troubled that he was receiving no souls in his realm. It was believed that if devotees saw Lord Jagannath then they could attain salvation and skip the journey to Yamlok (the land of the dead).
As per the beliefs Lord Jagannath told Yamraj to abode in the third step of the temple’s entrance and declared, “He who steps on this stair after seeing me shall be freed of sins, but shall come to your abode.” Since then the step is called Yamashila and those who visit the temple consciously avoid stepping on it.
The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath that starts on 27th June, the event takes place annually but is arranged according to the Hindu calendar. The Yatra is held during the Ashadh Shukla Paksha in the Asadh month every year. The Yatra starts from the highly respected and worshipped Jagannath Temple of Puri which is one of the Char Dhams of Hinduism.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/devotees-gather-in-puri-to-witness-jagannath-rath-yatra-8782068