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Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Interesting Facts About The Famous Chariot Festival

Of all temples, the temple of Jagannath at Puri in Orissa, built-in 1078 AD, virtually defies science and its mysteries remain unexplained. To the Orissa folk, this is a day-to-day occurrence that needs no explanation. Faith rules supreme in Orissa, in all its colours and mystic splendour.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Interesting

Jagannath Rath Yatra is going to be celebrated on Friday the 1 July 2022. It is the belief of the devotees that Lord Jagannath visits his temple annually once. The temple has a rich historical past with various stories associated with the festival. Puri's Rath Yatra is a collective symbol of unity, fraternity, and peace. People from all over India gather here once a year to pull the chariot of god. Pulling the rath in the yatra accrues blessings from the lord for pleasure and riches in the material life and salvation in the life after. Scroll down the article to know more about the famous Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Interesting

1. The Puri Jagannath Temple is open to people of all castes, creeds and sects during the festival.

2. Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra - the three deities of the Temple travel in three different chariots; the Nandighosha (with 18 wheels), Taladhwaja ( 16 wheels), and Devadalana ( 14 wheels) respectively.

3. Every time, the chariots are constructed fresh from scratch using certain parts of trees that meet the specifications required by the primary priest. Four wooden horses are yoked to each chariot on the front side.

4. The top of the chariots of Jagannath is in the shape of a temple. A team of 15 tailors sits together to create the chariot canopies using 1200 meters of cloth. About 1400 carpenters commence construction on Akshay Tritiya and they use only their hands and fingers instead of tapes for the purpose of measurement.

5. As per some devotees, Lord Jagannath refuses to move initially as the festival begins, irrespective of how many people push and pull from all sides. After hours of trying and praying, the rath starts responding.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Interesting

6. Gajapati clan of kings symbolically sweep the streets of Puri with a golden broom.

7. Why is the main door of the puri temple closed for one week prior to the festival? It is because Lord Jagannath needs rest for a week due to a high fever and he would come out only after he is well for the yatra.

8. It is on record that it rains every year on the day of the festival, without fail.

9. It took three generations of people to arrange the bricks on the walls of the temple.

10. A piece of cloth surely needs wind to move it or fly it. However, at the temple of Jagannath, the flag flies in the direction opposite the wind's course.

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2022: Interesting

11. Every day a priest climbs up the temple walls that are at a height of a 45-story building, with bare hands and no protective gear, just to change the flag on the temple dome. If this procedure is missed for a day, the temple needs to be shut down for 18 long years.

12. The temple does not have a shadow to it, at any time of the day, from any direction.

13. The first surprising factor is how the hard metal Sudarshan chakra, weighing a ton, just got mounted up there without any help. Secondly, no matter whichever direction you stand, near the temple, the chakra faces you directly from atop.

14. Let alone airplanes, even a bird does not cross or fly in the area above the dome of the Jagannath temple.

15. Around 200,000 devotees visit the temple each day. But one cannot see not even a bite of any food that is left over at the end of the day.

16. Especially in the evenings, once you step inside the temple, from the Sinha dwara entrance, you stop hearing the sound of the tides. Once you leave the temple, you can get hear the tides again, as usual.

17. Usually, it is during the day that the sea breeze sweeps the land and vice versa at night. However, here the cool air from the sea rushes in from land to the sea and vice versa.

18. The tradition practiced here in the temple of Puri Jagannath, is to cook in exactly seven pots or vessels mounted one on top of another and firewood is used while cooking. Surprisingly the contents in the topmost pot get cooked first and then the rest in that order.

19. Every year, the deities are buried every 14 to 18 years, one on the top of another, and they are replaced by new figurines. They are carved out of neem wood and the deities disintegrate on their own.

20. The food that is prepared lacks any flavour and aroma. After it is blessed by the lord and offered to him as mahaprasad, the food takes on a divine aroma and this is sent for the regular sale to devotees.

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption

Image sources: Wikimedia Commons

Story first published: Thursday, June 16, 2022, 18:35 [IST]