BY PRASANTA KU. DASH
Puri, June 27: The Rath Yatra or the Car Festival in Odisha’s Puri has been a centerstage among all festivities of eastern India even of the world. Beginning with a mere spiritual event relating to the ancient Shree Jagannath Temple, an artistic manifestation of Odissan art, architecture with inherent culture and its presiding deities including Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan, the traditional celebration in the long run became a spiritual extravaganza for the people of the world. It’s for the reverence of Lord Jagannath, the fine architect of the temple and its ever-expanding acceceptability for all.
The miniature village, Puri is now one of the greatest shrines of the world, while its temple is one of the World Heritages whereas it’s prime presiding God, Lord Jagannath is globally worshipped for his reverence.
Lord Jagannath, that literally means, the God of the Universe, is now a common deity of all to be worshipped and prayed almost everywhere in the world, including the westernized nations.
Similarly, the Rath Yatra, the grandeur festivity of Lord Jagannath is also celebrated in corners of the world as Car Festival in accordance with the rituals followed in the Shree Jagannath Shrine in Puri.
What the scriptures opine of the beginning of Rath Yatra that the Odisha History also agrees, the Rath Yatra was initiated by the Royal Families in Puri in a miniature way. The smaller replicas of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra & Subhadra with Chakraraja Sudarshan, the divine arm of Lord Jagannath, were being carried on with a palanquin-size chariot. Handful servitors with locals accompanied by some enthusiasts were performing the rituals and driving the chariots to the Gundicha Temple, the ancient workshop of God Biswakarma wherever he crafted the semi-finished deities out from logs of Neem Wood.
The Grand Road which is as-wide as an Express Highway now, was also too narrow and was filled with sand and soil. The Rath Yatra and the return Journey, the Bahuda Yatra, were traditionally performed on the sand-filled path in the pious month of Asadha. Gradually, the Puri Jagannath Temple became an epicenter of the world, for its popularity, the fine artefacts of the 12th century monument and the golden beach, accessible and ridgeless bay. Apart from it, the worldclass Sun Temple at Konark, the Bali Harachandi, Maa Ramachandi, Tara Tarini Temple and the Alaranath Temple & Sakhigopal Temple, which is a few kilometers away from Puri, became a spiritual triangle for the devotees, to make a spiritual tour, at least once in a year. Meanwhile, the instrumentation of democracy and people-centric governance took forwarding steps to develop the shrine in many ways. They also took up the Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra including other prime rituals such as Snana Yatra, Naba Joubana Besha, Suna Besha, Chandana Yatra, Nabakalebara ect, to transform the holy town as a fullfledged shrine city of faith and devotion.
The government’s interventions have now made Puri a shrine city of devotion that’s a Jagannath Kshetra and a grand spot for world tourism.
Let alone the Rath Yatra or the Bahuda Yatra in Puri that see oceans of crowd in the shrine, a significant ritual relating to the Lord Jagannath attracts tens of thousands of visitors now, because of the reverernce of the almighty.
Now, Lord Jagannath & Rath Yatra over the Yugas- has been a confluence of culture, custom and divinity spread out from Odisha to the globe. Tens of thousands of Odias, living in Odisha and abroad though believe Lord Jagannath as their dear Lord over their heads & heart within, most of the people have a living faith on the people’s deity and are almost crazy and passionate to step in the shrine city of Puri, for eternal integrity.
Originating from the ancient soil of Odisha, Lord Jagannath and the holy tradition of his Rath Yatra have now spread out across the world for its universal reverence. Though the lord Jagannath is considered the presiding deity in Odisha’s Puri Jagannath Temple, from before the early 13th Century as a God regionally worshipped, especially by aboriginal Odias, the conscience on the revered God is all spread out in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Manipur and Tripura, among a number of nations like Indonesia, Nepal and Maritious.
Lord Jagannath is also significantly worshipped by the the Hindus in Bangladesh and elsewhere, as a pious gangetic confluence of culture, custom and divinity spread out from the ancient Odisha.
The Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha is extremly significant in Vaishnavism, and is regarded as one of the four Dhams (pious pilgrimage points) in India.The Jagannath temple is massive, over 61 metres (200 ft) high in the Nagara architecture style of Hindu temple architecture, and one of the best surviving specimens of Kalinga architecture, namely Odisha art and architecture. It has been one of the major pilgrimage destinations for Hindus since Yugas. From this apart, people from other races are also found spontaneously attracted to Puri, famous as the Shree Jagannath Dham, at least once during their lives, to have absolute fulfillment and salvation, due to the ethics of secularism well practised in the holific ‘Shree Jagannath Cult’
