Orissa is a land of innumerable fairs & festivals that are celebrated round the year. The most spectacular among them being the Rath Yatra, also known as the Car Festival to the world.

Preparation for Rath Yatra

• Baisakha Sukla Trutiya, 3rd May - Construction of Rath begins.

• Snana Purnima, full moon day of Jyestha (May-June) - Ceremonial bath of the deities & retirement of the deities from public view for treatment & rest for 14 days. This period is known as Anasara.

• Asadha Sukla Pratipada, the first day of bright fortnight of Asadha (June-July) - Reappearance of the deities.

•  Asadha Sukla Dwitiya the second day of bright fortnight of Asadha - Commencement of Rath Yatra

The three wooden deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, & Ma Subhadra with Sudarshan are brought out of the main temple and taken to Gundicha temple for a week's visit in three decorated chariots.

This is the only occasion to see & embrace the deities outside the temple irrespective of caste, colour & creed of the devotee.

Sequence of Rath Yatra

• Divine Procession (Pahandi Bije) The deities are brought out of the temple to ride the chariots by rhythmic movement called Pahandi in a royal procession. Beats of Cymbals & drums & chanting of prayers by devotees are the most prominent feature of this ritual.

• Sweeping of Chariots (Chhera Pahanra) After the deities are installed on their respective chariots, the traditional king of Puri sweeps the chariots with a golden broom, which is known as Chhera Pahanra.

• Pulling of Chariots (Rath Tana) The most exciting part of the Rath Yatra is the pulling of Chariots by thousands of devotees to the Gundicha temple, which is about 3 km away from the starting point of the yatra. Devotees stay in the temple for a week.

• Return Journey (Bahuda Yatra) On Asadha Sukla Dasami, the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Asadha, return journey or Bahuda Yatra of the deities commences in the same manner from Gundicha Temple to the main temple.

• Suna Besa Before going in their original abode, the deities are dressed in Golden attire on the chariots the next day.

• Nabakalebara When two months of Asadha fall in one year, Rath Yatra is observed as the festival of Nabakalebara. The old deities are buried within the temple premises (Koilibaikuntha) and are replaced by new deities, carved out of margosa trees for which, there are fixed procedures. Double Asadha occurs at intervals of 8 to 19 years. Nabakalebara was held in 1996, 1977, 1969, 1950, 1931 during this century.

Description of Chariots

• Chariot of Jagannath: Nandighosh / Garudadhwaja / Kapidhwaja
  No of Wheels : 16
  No of wooden pieces used: 832
  Height: 13.5 m
  Length & Breadth: 10.52m x 10.52m
  Color of Cloth Wrapping: Red & Yellow
  Guardian Deity: Garuda
  Chaioteer: Daruka
  The Flag: Trailokyamohini
  The Horses: Shankha, Balahaka, Shweta & Haridashwa
  The Rope: Sankhachuda
  Side Deities: Hanuman, Rama, Laxmana, Narayana, Krishna, Govardhan, Dharana, Chintamani,Raghav, &  Nrusimha.

• Chariot of Jagannath: Taladhwaja
   No of Wheels : 14
  No of wooden pieces used: 763
  Height: 13.2 m
  Length & Breadth: 10.06m x 10.06m
  Color of Cloth Wrapping: Red & Blue
  Guardian Deity: Basudev
  Chaioteer: Matali
  The Flag: Urnani
  The Horses: Tibra, Ghora, Dirghashran, & Swarnanva
  The Rope: Basuki
  Side Deities: Traimbaka, Vasudeva, Aghora, Pralambai, Natambara, Tripurasiva, & Mrutunjaya

• Chariot of Subhara: Darpadalana / Padmadhwaja
  No of Wheels : 12
  No of wooden pieces used: 593
  Height: 12.9 m
  Length & Breadth: 9.6m x 9.6m
  Color of Cloth Wrapping: Red & Black
  Guardian Deity: Jayadurga
  Chaioteer: Arjuna
  The Flag: Nandambika
  The Horses: Ruchika, Mochika, Jita & Aparajita
  The Rope: Swarnachuda
  Side Deities: Chamunda, Bhadrakali, Harachandika, Katyayani, Jayadurga, Varahi, Kali, Mangala, Vimala