Ratha Yatra
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Ratha Yatra ( Hindi : रथ यात्रा ; Ratha means carriage, carriage, wheel; Yātrā literally pilgrimage) is a Hindu chariot festival, at the climax of which the believers pull a processional float with the image of the god Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) on ropes through the city . Jagannath is an aspect of Krishna .
In many cities around the world there are Ratha Yatras, often organized by the international ISKCON society, for example in New York , London or other large cities; Car festivals are also held annually in several cities in Germany and Switzerland. In addition to ISKCON, there are also other organizers, for example supporters of the Indian Swaminarayan community.
Ratha Yatra in Puri
The original and best known Ratha Yatra, however, is that in the Indian city of Puri in the state of Odisha . Every year towards the end of June or the beginning of July, the date varies according to the Hindu lunar calendar, the Jagannath Temple there is the starting point for the world-famous festival. The number of holidays also varies according to the cycle of the lunar calendar and lasts between one and two weeks in total.
Thousands of people pull the three large statues of Jagannath and his "siblings" Balabhadra and Subhadra in a procession through the streets of Puri, accompanied by enthusiastic music, on three different sized floats, which are rebuilt every year according to ancient rules Dance and prayer. A total of around one thousand people are needed to move each of these huge wagons. Jagannath's chariot is the tallest with a height of about thirteen and a half meters and has sixteen wheels, at the top of the top of the chariot there is one wheel. Balabhadra's chariot is a few centimeters smaller with fourteen wheels and at the top the tala fruit (a * Palm fruit) while the 12-wheeled wagon of Subhadra is almost thirteen meters high.
However, the procession is preceded by a few days with various ceremonies: First a bathing festival, the Snanyatra , in which priests pour over one hundred and eight jugs of water from a holy spring with prayers, the Murti , as Hindus call the consecrated statues. The Anavasara Festival , which followed a few days later, marks a time of the absence of the god from the temple, since he is "sick" with a fever. During the Anga-Raga or Nava-Yavana festival, selected craftsmen freshly paint the wooden body in the innermost shrine of the temple. However, the priests only paint their eyes ritually during the following service, the puja .
Only after many traditional ceremonies can the procession begin, of which that part is said to be the most colorful, in which the Murtis are placed on the floats. Hung with fresh garlands, with Balabhadra first, since he is the older of the three "siblings" in mythology, followed by the chariots of Jagannath and Subhadras , the journey begins with the booming sound of the conch horns. The buildings on the wide main street of the coastal city are decorated with flags, garlands and flowers and the people express their sympathy with festive clothing. In former times it was the king's job to lead the procession and clear the way for Jagannath with a golden broom.
The goal of the procession is the Gundicha Ghar temple, the so-called "garden house", about three kilometers away . The Murtis, in which the believers fervently worship the divine, stay here for the entire week of the festival until they are brought back in a procession.
At the end of the journey there are other important ceremonies before Jagannath and the other two are put back in their original place in the temple: for a few hours they are equipped with golden arms and feet and decorated with precious jewelry and crowns. Many Hindus consider this day to be the most blessed of the whole festival. They walk around the three wagons praying, trusting in the special blessing.
The festival is not only a religious event, but also a tourist highlight. Countless people flock from all over the world to experience the divine journey.
During the Yatra, many believers try once, if only for a short time, to pull the ropes that move Jagannath's chariots. They promise themselves “Punya”, grace and spiritual merit from it. In the crush of the crowds it happens again and again that people are run over by the wheels and killed. While some speak of accidents, others claim that some victims enthusiastically and deliberately threw themselves in front of the wheels in order to achieve moksha , salvation , through death under the chariot of God .
Mythological background and spiritual meaning
The mythological background of the Ratha Yatra are different, well-known myths: According to one version, this journey through the streets is reminiscent of the farewell to Krishna and his brother Balrama when they left their childhood places in the car. Others tell the story as a commemoration of how Krishna returned home with Balarama and Sister Subhadra from the great war described in the Mahabharata . One often hears the version that Jagannath is on vacation at the beginning of the rainy season in his summer residence, the garden house temple.
However, this divine pilgrimage also contains complex spiritual meaning. For example, it is compared with the repetitive journey of life, with samsara , the many cycles of death and rebirth. The image of the chariot appears as a common symbol in Hinduism . The Katha Upanishad compares:
"The Atman (the self, soul) is the traveler, the body is the chariot, the reason is the charioteer."
