Rath Yatra: The Chariot Festival

Rath Yatra commemorates Lord Jagannath's annual journey from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, atop towering wooden chariots—Nandighosa for Jagannath, Taladhwaja for Balabhadra, and Darpadalana for Subhadra—drawn by thousands of pilgrims with ropes amid chants of "Jai Jagannath." The nine-day festival includes rituals like Snana Purnima bathing, a rest period called Anasara, and the return procession on Bahuda Yatra, fostering themes of devotion, equality, and communal joy with feasting on Mahaprasad