The Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, in which Lord Krishna, Balabhadra and Subhadra are worshiped, will be conducted on 20th June 2024 in Puri, Odisha. Every year, this Yatra is celebrated by Hindu religious followers who travel from all over India to attend this religious ceremony. The intrinsic part of this ceremony is the three chariots of the God which are dragged by Hindu followers to get blessed with contentment, success and salvation.

The Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of the most significant and auspicious religious festivals for the Hindu devotees which is marked with ceremonies on a large level. Hindu devotees travel from all over India to Puri Odisha in order to commemorate this festivity with great devotion and excitement. This day is observed on Dwitiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha. In 2024, this festivity will be observed on 20th June.

Date and Time for Celebration of Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra in 2024: 

The commencement of celebrations of this religious festival was done at 11:25 AM on 19th June, 2024 and will end at 1:07 PM on 20th June, 2024.

Significance:

The Jagannath Rath Yatra is considered as one of the most important and significant festivals of the Hindu religion. This festival is devoted to the worshiping of Lord Krishna, along with his elder brother and younger sister, named Balabhadra and Subhadra respectively. The celebrations commence from Snana Purnima. The most important part of this festivity are the three chariots of the God. The Puri Jagannath temple in Odisha which is the main temple for celebrations is adorned with flowers, rangoli and lights. The Jagannth Puri temple is also one of the ancient religious temples of India where this festival was first celebrated in the 12th century. 

On this special occasion, the idols of Balram, Jagannath and Subhadra are placed on the three chariots by the devotees which are then pulled by them, by using thick ropes, all over the city of Puri. It is a well accepted tradition as well as a belief that by the three chariots of the God, Lord Jagannath blesses his followers with great contentment, success and also removes all the hurdles from the life of devotees which helps them in attaining salvation.

Rituals:

In the beginning, the three chariots of God are pulled to Gundicha temple where they halt at Mausi Maa temple and a variety of food articles are offered to God. These chariots spend 7 days at the Mausi Maa temple after which they return to Lord Jagannath temple. 

Before beginning the rites, these chariots are decorated in a variety of ways and these are first pulled by the priests. The pulling of these chariots is considered as very significant and auspicious. A large number of Lord Jagannath followers volunteer to pull the chariots, roads of the city are cleaned with brooms, Sandal itra is sprinkled all over the place, religious songs are sung and devotees dance to express their joy and gratefulness to God.

The Gundicha temple is also cleaned by the devotees before the three chariots reach there. The chariot of Lord Jagannath consists of 16 wheels; it is also called Nandighosha. The chariot of Balabhadra consists of 14 wheels which is also called Taladhwaja and lastly, the chariot of Subhadra consists of 12 wheels and it is also called Darpadalan.