Bahuda Yatra 2013 In Pictures

Thursday, July 18, 2013, 13:53 [IST]

Rath Yatra is a festival in Odhisa where the main deities Jagannath, Balabhadra (elder brother of Lord Krishna) and Subhadra (younger sister of Lord Krishna and Balabhadra). Rath Yatra is held once every year in the month of Asadha (rainy season that falls in June-July). The three deities are taken to the Gundicha temple and then brought back. When the chariots or rath is taken to the Gundicha temple, it is known as Rath Yatra. After staying at Gundicha temple for 9 days, the three raths are brought back to the Puri Jagannath temple. The return of the Gods is known as Bahuda Yatra. Rath Yatra 2013 has been celebrated in various parts of the world. So, the Bahuda Yatra 2013 is also been celebrated to mark the homeward journey of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Sudhadra.

Bahuda Yatra is today (18th July, 2013) in Puri. It is the day when the brothers and sister (Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra) return back home (Jagannath Temple, Puri) after staying at their aunt's place (Gundicha Temple) for a week. The return journey of the deities of Jagannath temple in Puri is all set to be conducted today. The tight security and rituals have started taking place.

The crowd has started gathering to see the Bahuda Yatra of 2013. The same vigour, joy and anticipation of the people is seen from early morning. Even after the bomb blast in Bodh Gaya recently, the devotees of Jagannath have not stopped themselves from taking a look at the deities and car festival.

In Bahuda Yatra, the deities are pulled out of the temple and placed on the chariots. Then on the way back, Lord Jagannath stops in front of the Mausima Temple. Here the meeting of Lakshmi and Narayana takes place. The idol of Lakshmi is brought at the gazing pavilion by the Brahmins. The Goddess gazes at the raths that pass by. The king carries the Lakshmi idol in his left hand and proceeds towards Jagannath's chariot. He places the idol in such a way that she can face Jagannath clearly.

The pilgrims watch this ritual happening and are really eager to grab the last Darshan of the king! Goddess Lakshmi is taken back to the temple by the king and the raths starts proceeding forward. The deities are dressed in gold ornaments and outfits and then taken into Jagannath Temple, Puri. Grabbing a look of the golden deities is considered very auspicious for the pilgrims. Once the deities reach the main temple, the purification rites are performed and then the three idols are placed in the inner sanctum of the temple.

Here are few live pictures of Bahuda Yatra 2013:

Bahuda Yatra Raths

These are the three raths of Bahuda Yatra 2013 that are all set to take the three deities back home.

Crowd

You can see the huge crowd that has started gathering outside Gundicha temple to see Bahuda Yatra 2013.

Gundicha Temple

The Gundicha temple is decorated with flowers and crowd is waiting to grab a glimpse of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.

Jagannath's Rath

The Jagannath's rath is yellow and red in colour. It is well-decorated with flowers and the wooden idol of Lord Jagannath will be placed inside this rath.