Priyadarsi Dutta
Today is the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The sea of humanity that congregates in Puri, Serampore, Ahmedabad and Varanasi makes this event a moving spectacle. Thanks to Iskcon, Rath Yatras are also conducted in more than 100 magnificent cities all over the world, including London, Dublin, Belfast, New York, Singapore, Venice and Toronto. In the North-East, Manipur marks its annual chariot fest (Kang Chingba) of Lord Jagannath.
Originally, a mode of transportation and a mounted vehicle of war in ancient India, the rath has come to enjoy a mystical significance in the Indian psyche. Krishna transformed this vehicle of war into a platform for preaching what is now known as the Gita. “See the self as the lord of the chariot,” Yama (the omniscient god of death) advises Nachiketa in Kathopanishad, “the body as the chariot, the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as the reins”.
The Rath Yatra may thus be a festive way of celebrating spiritual self-discovery. Like all Hindu festivals its ritualistic aspect is deeply symbolic. Like Kumbh Mela or Durga Puja, it breaks down the barriers of caste. “The ideal society is the vehicle of the indwelling godhead of a human aggregate, the chariot for the journey of Jagannath. Unity, freedom, knowledge and power constitute the four wheels of this chariot,” wrote Sri Aurobindo in Chariot of Jagannath (1918), a rare Bengali essay.
Though best associated with Lord Jagannath, the Rath Yatra is not limited to him. Celebrated annually in Hampi is the Virupaksha Rath Yatra — dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. In Nallur, near Jaffna (Sri Lanka), the Ther festival is celebrated with fanfare every August. Murugan (Lord Kartikeyan), the presiding deity of Nallur Kandaiswamy Temple, is taken out on a chariot.
The sacred chariot is a part of south Indian architecture. Near the famous musical hall of Hampi (ancient Vijayanagara) is the famous stone chariot (whose wheels actually revolve around the axis) dedicated to Vithala. The rock-cut chariots of Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) of the Pallava era (5th century AD) are dedicated to the Pandava brothers.
Today is the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The sea of humanity that congregates in Puri, Serampore, Ahmedabad and Varanasi makes this event a moving spectacle. Thanks to Iskcon, Rath Yatras are also conducted in more than 100 magnificent cities all over the world, including London, Dublin, Belfast, New York, Singapore, Venice and Toronto. In the North-East, Manipur marks its annual chariot fest (Kang Chingba) of Lord Jagannath.
Originally, a mode of transportation and a mounted vehicle of war in ancient India, the rath has come to enjoy a mystical significance in the Indian psyche. Krishna transformed this vehicle of war into a platform for preaching what is now known as the Gita. “See the self as the lord of the chariot,” Yama (the omniscient god of death) advises Nachiketa in Kathopanishad, “the body as the chariot, the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as the reins”.
The Rath Yatra may thus be a festive way of celebrating spiritual self-discovery. Like all Hindu festivals its ritualistic aspect is deeply symbolic. Like Kumbh Mela or Durga Puja, it breaks down the barriers of caste. “The ideal society is the vehicle of the indwelling godhead of a human aggregate, the chariot for the journey of Jagannath. Unity, freedom, knowledge and power constitute the four wheels of this chariot,” wrote Sri Aurobindo in Chariot of Jagannath (1918), a rare Bengali essay.
Though best associated with Lord Jagannath, the Rath Yatra is not limited to him. Celebrated annually in Hampi is the Virupaksha Rath Yatra — dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. In Nallur, near Jaffna (Sri Lanka), the Ther festival is celebrated with fanfare every August. Murugan (Lord Kartikeyan), the presiding deity of Nallur Kandaiswamy Temple, is taken out on a chariot.
The sacred chariot is a part of south Indian architecture. Near the famous musical hall of Hampi (ancient Vijayanagara) is the famous stone chariot (whose wheels actually revolve around the axis) dedicated to Vithala. The rock-cut chariots of Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) of the Pallava era (5th century AD) are dedicated to the Pandava brothers.
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