Jagannath 101 - Ratha Jatra 2023

 On today's occasion of Ratha Jatra I name this blog "JAGANNATH - 101", a simple and brief introduction to Sri Jagannath and his famous chariot festival. It is intended for the uninitiated, striving to be as much informative as possible without being inordinately long. Bulk of this was published on the KHABAR magazine in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I repost this every year as a refresher and for those who came late.

RATHA JATRA (RATH YATRA) of Lord Jagannath is a major festival in Odisha and for Hindus living around the world which invariably comes in late June or early July as per the Gregorian calendar. Millions of devotees from all over world throng to the temple town of Puri, Odisha braving the heat and humidity to have DARSHAN (devotional peek) of the Lord.

Locally the Rath Yatra is also called DHULIA GUNDICHA (dusty festival) or KADUA GUNDICHA (muddy festival) depending on the monsoon which is known to be capricious every year. One year it would be dry and dusty due to scarcity of rain, the other year chariots of the Lords have to be dragged on a slushy ground due to abundance of rainfall.

Who is Lord Jagannath ? He is our famous Hindu deity. The word Jagannath is formed as the conjoint (SANDHI) of the two words JAGAT (Universe) + NATH (meaning Lord of the Universe) = Jagannath. He is also addressed by many other names names - CHAKADOLA (Circular eyeballs), KAALIA (for his Amber complexion), JAGABANDHU (Friend of Universe), PAITAPABAN and myriads of other names by his devotees. Sri Jagannath is considered as a form of Lord Vishnu. Inside the temple his soul resides in his idol made from DAARU (wood). He is accosted by his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra on his side.

What is Jagannath culture ? To keep it simple - it is a way of life, our way of life. It denotes the wonderful culture and traditions of Odias and the great state of Odisha. Jagannath culture envisages devotion and respect for elders, love and affection for the younger, compassion for all. The Lord invokes us to do the right things and follow the path of righteousness and justice. It is as simple as that, need not be any more complex to comprehend or visualize.

In its realms the Jagannath culture sees God in every object, in its endless and infinite form. It is just not limited to any national or international boundary. As His name indicates, Jagannath belongs to the whole universe - He is not limited of any particular caste, creed, nation, community or person. Believers, atheists and agnostics alike agree on one thing, i.e, Lord Jagannath is our window to the world. It is our export which does not bring us any foreign exchange, but tons of gems in the form of goodwill and joy.

Now lets take look at Jagannath temple from historical prospective. The coastal township of Puri in the state of Odisha is famous for its Jagannath temple which is one of the CHAAR DHAAMs or the Four sacred abodes of God. The other three are Badrinarh, Dwarka and Rameswaram revered by all Hindus. The Jagannath temple in Puri was built in the 11th Century by King Chodaganga Dev from the Ganga dynasty. But according to the legend the temple which precedes that time was built by King Indradyumna many centuries ago. 

Lord Jagannath who always resides in the heart of Odias have helped their race for centuries. Legend has it - He, along with His elder Balabhadra assisted our King Purusottam Deb of Puri in defeating his opponent, the King of Kanchi. It is also said that the Lord saved himself from the marauding KALAPAHADA the JAVANA (The outcaste), an euphemism for the Muslim General who desecrated the temple in the 16th century.

Sri Jagannath is offered CHAPPAN BHOG (56 kinds of foods) as offerings, but the MAHAPRASAD (the great food offering) also colloquially known as ABHADA tops it all. It is cooked on huge earthen pots fueled by fire woods. No garlic, onions or vegetable of foreign origin - Potato, Tomato, Cauliflowers, Cabbages, Papaya etc are ever used as ingredients. This is the favored meal of all religious occasions and post death rituals like DASAH (10th Day after death ceremony) and SHRADDHA (Annual Death Anniversary prayers). It has a unique appetizing smell and taste which is attributed to Lord's MAHIMA (miracle).

Inside the temple there is a place named ANANDA BAZAAR (The Market of Happiness) where the Hindu devotees irrespective of caste, creed or class can seat and eat together. It is a profound aspect of our culture where all are considered equal in the abode of the Lord. 

The MAHAPRASAD is buried in the ground without being offered to the Lord as it is considered MAARAA (inauspicious) on three grounds.

1. A person other than a Hindu or Sikh, from any Religion of foreign origin enters the temple as non-Hindus aren't allowed inside the temple.

2. A person dies inside the temple premises. (It is believed that if one dies inside the temple gets a straight ticket to Heaven)

3. A dog, considered as a dirty animal for some reason enters the temple. However cats and monkeys roam free inside the temple.

Now let's move on to RATHA JATRA or  Car Festival which is held in the months of June -July depending on the auspicious occasion as per our Hindu Lunar calendar. It is held all over the world including our state of Georgia, but the most famous is the one held in Puri.

Lord Jagannath is regarded as one among us. Like a normal human being he eats, takes a shower on SNANA PURNIMA (the full moon day for bath) and falls sick. He suffers from fever for several days until the day of RATHA JATRA when he travels to his MAUSI's (sister of his mom) house a few miles away sitting on a chariot named NANDIGHOSA. His brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra also travel in two separate chariots along with him. The King of Puri sweeps the top of the Lord's chariot using his golden broom. All the three chariots are pulled by hundreds of thousands of devotees thronging BADADANDA (The Broadway) of Puri of amidst heavy beating of GHANTA (brass plates), DHOLs( drums) and sirens of  SANKHA (conch shell). 

The DAHOOKA or Charioteer is the person in front of the chariot is known to chant the Puri BOLIS (limericks) full of profanity in order to entice the crowd. This practice of utterance of expletive filled chants has stopped from 1995 and replaced by Sanskrit SLOKAS (hymns) these days. Though highly offensive this practice continued for centuries and cannot be ignored or denied as part of our history and Ratha Jatra rituals.

During the British rule the Englishmen were appalled at devotees throwing themselves off in front of the chariot with the belief of being assured a place in heaven (The word Juggernaut derived from Jagannath is probably the only word in the English lexicon which has its origination in Odisha, meaning a heavy object on roll).

I will end this article with

JAGANNATHA SWAMI,
NAYANA PATHA GAMI
BHAVATUME,

which roughly means -

"O Lord Jagannath, 
The Beacon of our eyes,
He who shows us the path, 
Be visible to me.