Bhubaneswar: Puri Jagannath Rath yatra started with it’s all glory.Two months after Cyclone Fani, the age-old cultural city Puri of Odisha is all set for Puri-Jagannath Temple Rath Yathra.10 days long RathYathra will go on till 14th of this month.
Fani Cyclone-hit Odisha belt two months before. The Odisha government claimed that cyclone Fani affected more than 1.5 crore people in 14 out of 30 revenue districts in the state. Even all these things happened, a war foot arrangement has been done by the government and local authority to reinstate public life.
The famous Grand Road is now fully packed with devotees of Puri Jagannath. All are chanting with “Jai Jagannath” slogan. More people are coming as a sea of humanity to see and pray for them. All will try to pull the huge Rath which is decorated with silk and flowers carrying deity of Puri Jagannath and goddess.
Jagannath means “lord of the world” and is the form of Hindu gods Krishna/Vishnu/ Rama worshipped in Odisha. Jagannath Temple, which is in Puri and the Ratha Yatra or the Chariot festival is celebrated at the temple of Jagannath, associated with God Jagannath. Lord Jagannatha’s chariot is called Nandighosa. It is forty-five feet high and forty-five feet square at the wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth.
Lord Jagannatha is identified with Krishna, who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in golden yellow robes and hence the distinguishing yellow stripes on the canopy of this chariot. According to the recently discovered copper plates from the Ganga dynasty, the construction of the current Jagannath temple was initiated by the ruler of Kalinga, Anantavarma Chodaganga. The Jaga Mohan and the Vimana portions of the temple were built during his reign (1078 – 1148 CE).
